Review: Walter Trout ‘Broken’

Review: Walter Trout Broken

By Stephen Guppy

By any reasonable metric, blues-guitar virtuoso Walter Trout is a legend. After thirty albums, spells in seminal bands working with some of the head honchos of blues and rock, and a life-or-death struggle with his personal demons that’s been chronicled too well elsewhere to require discussion here, Trout has earned his place on the Mount Rushmore of blues guitar. He’s been down to the crossroads, faced down the devil, and lived to tell us what he’s learned. His latest album, Broken, produced by Trout’s longtime collaborator Eric Corne, drops March 1.

Trout has always had good taste in workmates, and the trio of invitees here are particularly exciting. Beth Hart is an obvious choice, and it’s perceptive of Trout to add blues harp wunderkind Will Wilde to the company on Broken. The mystery guest is none other than Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider, a surprising but weirdly appropriate foil for Trout’s guitar work.

Guest vocalist Beth Hart has been down the same rocky roads as Trout, and her barbed wire-and-satin voice on the title song’s chorus complements his perfectly. She makes the second verse her own with her anguished vibrato. You can’t help wondering whether it’s occurred to Trout and Hart that their fans would welcome a full-length elaboration of their partnership. Make it so, Walter.

“Turn And Walk Away” initially takes us into country blues with a tub-thumping rhythm, wailing harp, and a memorable chorus, then mutates into blues rock with Trout’s stinging fills and solo. This is a highlight on Broken, a genuine Trout classic.

“Courage In The Dark” is the longest track on the album, providing scope for Trout’s guitar heroics. Book this one a slot on your “best blues-rock solos” playlist.

“Bleed” was inspired by drummer Michael Leasure, who noted that Trout, despite his experience with John Lee Hooker and Canned Heat, had never recorded a Hooker-style boogie. Trout calls Brit harmonica prodigy Will Wilde “the best I’ve ever heard”, and if this track is any indication, that evaluation may be accurate. With folks like Wilde and Jason Ricci exploring radical approaches to the blues harp, the age of the harmonica shredder is upon us.

“Bleed (Ft. Will Wilde)”

 
Trout is an owlish mood in some of the songs on Broken, those that dwell on the trouble and conflict he sees in the contemporary world. That dystopian vision is vividly embodied in “No Magic (in the street)”, “I’ve Had Enough”, and “Heaven Or Hell”. The title of “Heaven Or Hell” sums up the thematic thrust of the album—hellfire preaching balancing with moments of contemplation and redemption. Leasure is really on his game here, nailing down the phrases with whip-crack beats, and the guitar work is Trout at his jaw-dropping best, ferocious and melodic at once. “I’ve Had Enough” is the stand-out among these “protest” songs. Dee Snider acquits himself well, getting on top of the band’s thunder and riding the storm. The guitar fills and solo are classic Trout—spiraling licks, warp-speed trills, and whammy-bar dives—the full arsenal.

“Love Of My Life” puts the lyrical side of Trout’s persona on display. It’s five minutes of languid, beautifully-phrased guitar work, one of Trout’s better instrumentals and an effective counterpoint to the hard-edged moments on the album.

“Breathe” was written by Richard Gerstein (a.k.a. “Richard T. Bear” or “T.Bear” or just “Bear”, take your pick). Gerstein wrote the song during the Covid lockdown, and it reflects the need for release from the frustration of that moment. The song provides a welcome change of pace, moving us from wounded anger to healing. The guitar licks lean close to country on this one, and Trout’s vocal is rich and emotive. This cut should be released as a single: it certainly sticks in your head.

“Falls Apart”, despite its downbeat title, balances depression and exultation, with the lyric dwelling on the echo of Yeats’ apocalyptic vision—“Things fall apart/the center cannot hold”—and the guitar soaring brilliantly up into the heavens. It’s a fitting capstone to a collection that juxtaposes different moods and balances extremes. The choral ending is another nice surprise.

Walter Trout clearly isn’t content with resting on his laurels. If he’s a legend, he’s very much a living legend. At seventy-two, he’s still the full-service Guitar God he’s been for decades. And yes, he’s still full of piss and vinegar, raging against the chaos around us; still brimming with heartfelt emotions and creative ideas. There’s nothing Broken about Broken, not even a string.

Pre-order the album Broken HERE