Robben Ford Discussion

[route66blues]

BluesWax Picks


Ford, Robben - Truth


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Ford, Robben
Truth
Concord Records
Hear It! Rate It! Buy It!

Evolution and Expansion, (09/12/07)
Robben Ford is widely recognized by critics and his musical peers for his always fresh and extremely tasty guitar playing, his musical career reads like a who's who, recording and touring with a vast array of artists, including; Charlie Musselwhite, Joni Mitchell, Tom Scott, The Yellowjackets, Mavis Staples, Georgie Fame, Boz Scaggs, Ben Sidran, George Harrison, John Mayall, Jimmy Witherspoon, Miles Davis, and many more!
For many years it has been said that the Blues will never die, but it does change and needs to evolve to remain fresh. Robben Ford's latest Concord Records release, Truth, his third for the label, is definitely twenty-first century modern Blues performed smartly and powerfully. All but one track included are originals, with the only cover being the dynamite reading of the Otis Redding B-side, "Nobody's Fault But Mine."

Truth starts off favorably with the opening track "Lateral Climb," as Ford discusses the working peoples' daily grind and world political frustrations and failures. Other highlights include "You're Gonna Need a Friend," which is infectiously funky and was also co-written by his wife, singer Anne Kerry Ford. Ford also pays his respect to the King of the Blues, B.B. King, on "Riley B. King," which boils very sweetly for over six minutes and never attempts to imitate or replicate King's guitar playing or singing, thus showing off Ford's heartfelt appreciation of King. The only guest on Truth is Susan Tedeschi where the two beautifully meld together in a duet setting.

Ford was rightfully named one of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century" by Musician magazine and this new release continues to show his outstanding guitar work, which is up front and in your face throughout this new disk. Ford's guitar solos are always expressive and well thought out, plus the musical settings of all the musicians involved are top shelf. Ford's vocals and songwriting also continue to grow, which when you think about it, is a nice combination to offer old and new fans of this extremely talented musician.

It's always great to have a new release from Robben Ford and Truth is just another fine example of how he continues to evolve and expand the boundaries of the Blues.

Bob Putignano is a contributing editor at BluesWax

[JavaDiva]

Thanks for sending the wonderful review of Truth. I picked up my copy the same day my car broke down and went into the shop, so ended up with only 2 CDs in the loaner car for 2 weeks - Robben Ford's Truth and Larry Carlton's Sapphire Blue. Love Robben's new CD, and as with many of his other recordings, this gets better and better the more I listen to it. The Riley B. King song has turned out to be one of my favorities, with a great guitar solo at the end, reminiscent of BB, but with Robben's own unique sound.

I'm missing the sunshine and all the summer nights of concerts in the parks here. Live music is certainly the best, and I'm glad I picked up a few new CDs over the summer to remind me of some of the great shows I was able to attend.