Walter Trout – We’re All In This Together

Walter Trout’s We’re All In This Together really should have one of those health warning stickers attached to its front because this is an album consisting of 14 tracks clearly engineered to blow your mind! Why? Well not only are all of the cuts exquisitely produced by Eric Corne and featuring Trout’s regular band of Sammy Avilla (keys), Mike Leasure (drums) and Johnny Griparic (bass), but there’s also contributions from a whole raft of blues rock giants appearing individually on each track.

Names such as Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Sonny Landreth, Robben Ford, Randy Bachmann, Charlie Musselwhite, Jon Trout, Mark Zito, Warren Haynes, Eric Gales, Joe Louis Walker, Edgar Winter, John Nemeth, John Mayall and Joe Bonamassa: a heart stopping, pulse racing, blood warming gathering if ever there was one and, boy, does it work!

From the opening Gonna Hurt Like Hell which features an electrifying performance from Shepherd, to the closing titular track  during which Bonamassa truly sets off more than a few firecrackers, nothing disappoints.

The sheer joy – and undoubtedly relief – Trout is feeling having escaped from his recent life threatening illnesses, is manifest.  Take a listen to She Listens to the Blackbird Sing featuring Mike Zito – arguably edging it as track of the album – or the rich harmonica supplied by Charlie Musselwhite on The Other Side of the Pillow and fight the urge not to be inspired.

The sheer energy that bleeds from the instrumental Mr Davis featuring Robben Ford, contrasts so delightfully with Too Much To Carry featuring John Nemeth it makes you wonder whether someone has switched discs midway through, each track is genuinely that different from the next.

Above all however it is the style, clarity, integrity, honesty and clean-cut beauty of each track that comes across that makes We’re All In This Together stand out. Here is an album that all but physically lifts the listener from their seat and transports them to a ‘virtual’ gig no money could possibly want to miss.

Where the 2016 album Battle Scars brought understandable introspection, 2017s We’re All In This Together undoubtedly brings hope and an understanding that no matter how dim and dreary things may appear, astonishingly brilliant music like this will be around for as long as there are brilliantly talented musicians to play it.

Walter Trout

We’re All In This Together

Label: Mascot Records

ASIN: B0735H71SD

September 1, 2017

Track List:

Gonna Hurt Like Hell

Ain’t Goin’ Back

The Other Side of the Pillow

She Listens to the Blackbird Sing

Mr. Davis

The Sky Is Crying

Somebody Goin’ Down

She Steals My Heart Away

Crash And Burn

Too Much to Carry

Do You Still See Me At All

Got Nothin’ Left

Blues For Jimmy T

We’re All In This Together

UK Tour

October

06 – Worthing Pier Southern Pavilion, Worthing, UK

07 – Chinnery’s, Marine Parade, Southend-on-Sea, UK

09 – The Brook, Southampton, UK

10 – Under The Bridge, Stamford Bridge, London, UK

11 – Under The Bridge, Stamford Bridge, London, UK

13 – Central Station, Wrexham, UK

14 – Warehouse 23, Wakefield, UK

15 – Preston Guild Hall, Preston, UK

17 – Robin 2, Bilston, UK

18 – Public Hall, Harpenden, UK

20 – Bierkeller Theatre, Bristol, UK

21 – Sin City, Swansea, UK 

22 – Muni Arts Centre, Pontypridd, UK