Lenoir’s “Talk To Your Daughter,” he recalls, “I found this song that Lenoir does all by himself with the guitar, very slowly, almost without even a rhythm. Universal themes are also explored on Otis Rush’s defiant “It Takes Time” and the funk-flavoured groove of Luther Johnson’s “Woman Don’t Lie.” With J.B. Certainly relevant for all members of society. And my wife thinks it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.” Sunnyland Slim’s “Be Careful How You Vote” stresses the importance of choosing carefully at the ballot box, without taking sides. He reflects on Chicago Bluesman Jimmy Dawkins never receiving the recognition deserved in covering ‘Survivor Blues.’ He reveals, “The last line – ‘Since you left me, All I have left is Me, My Guitar and the Blues’ – is one of the greatest lyrics I’ve heard in my life and I start crying just saying it. Walter Trout has a connection to each of these songs selected. The record was mostly done live, with us set up in a circle, just to get the feel of us going there together. “I’d play them the original,” remembers Trout, “and then I’d say, ‘Here’s how the song goes, what have you got?’ I’d give these guys a lot of freedom. The spell-casting fingers of keyboards session god and regular Trout conspirator, Skip Edwards. The muscular groove of bassist Johnny Griparic. The thunder and finesse of drummer Michael Leasure. Last September, as recording began at the Los Angeles studio of iconic Doors guitarist Robby Krieger, Trout and long-standing producer Eric Corne shared their vision with the only band who could measure up. He offers, “My idea was to do these songs like me, to arrange them for my band and style – not to just copy the originals note-for-note.” From the outset, Trout made it his mission to harness the power and spirit of the originals, while stamping his inimitable musical personality onto each new take. The roll-call of artists might be eclectic, but there’s a cohesion to ‘Survivor Blues’. In-between, you’ll find cherished favourites from a lifetime’s listening, with songs that caught Trout’s ear at key junctures in his journey, from backing up John Lee Hooker in the ’70s, to bringing the groove to Canned Heat in the ’80s or breaking through as a solo artist in the ’90s. “ Nature’s Disappearing” nods to his celebrated ’80s tenure in John Mayall’s (also appearing at Bluesfest next Easter) near-mythical Bluesbreakers. Opener “ Me, My Guitar And The Blues” tips a hat to cult hero Jimmy Dawkins, whose records Trout devoured while cutting his teeth as a ’60s axeslinger in New Jersey. The tracklisting of ‘Survivor Blues’ is a window into the 67-year-old’s fast-moving backstory, chronicling a five-decade career whose one constant is his deep love of the Blues. And that’s how ‘Survivor Blues’ started…” I wanted to do old, obscure songs that have hardly been covered. ’ I didn’t want to do the Blues greatest hits. I didn’t want to do ‘Stormy Monday ’ or ‘Messin’ With The Kid. And there’s a little voice in me that says, ‘Does the world need another version of that song?’ So I came up with an idea. “I’m riding in my car sometimes, and I’ve got a Blues station on – and here’s another band doing ‘Got My Mojo Workin ’. From the day he conceived the project to the moment he counted off the first song in the studio, he had a bolder plan for this release. Walter Trout is no ordinary artist and this is no ordinary covers album. A Trip Through Forgotten Blues Treasures with Walter Trout
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