In 2013 it was my honour and privilege to witness Walter Trout performing live, touring in support of his amazing album ‘Luther’s blues’. What struck home during that performance was the man’s amazing vitality, his heart, soul and generosity of spirit and yet, underneath the glow, Walter was struggling. Desperately in need of a liver transplant his health was failing and time was running out. Far from disappearing into a pit of misery, however, Walter pushed on, putting his heart and soul into each and every performance, delighting old fans and winning many more in the process, before returning to the studio to cut the wonderful, elegant ‘the blues came callin’, an album made by a man uncertain of his future, and yet an album brimming with all of the life, humour and vigour that made Walter’s stage performances so utterly memorable. An album full of hope, rather than despair, celebrating life rather than fearing death, it is a remarkable testament from a man refusing to be cowed by frailty or illness and, now that Walter has successfully had his transplant, it seems all the more celebratory for its creator’s newly ensured future.
Opening with ‘Wastin’ away’ Walter sets the tone straight out – for sure, weakness may have taken hold of Walter’s body over the course of his illness, but his mind is strong and fate has not spoken yet. The defiant, hope-filled tone sets the course for the album, whilst Walter’s guitar playing, soaked in gritty distortion, remains as wonderfully ragged and soulful as ever. It’s a song of strength and defiance and should serve as a mandatory anthem for anyone experiencing difficulties in life with its message of fighting fate to the bitter end. Kicking off with a rolling drum beat, ‘the world is goin’ crazy (and so am I)’ is a taut, bluesy rocker with a powerful beat and grinding guitar that recalls The Rides whilst ‘the bottom of the river’ is a beautifully considered tale of a man, seemingly condemned to die, who surfaces from his experience with a newfound respect and love of life. It’s Walter at his lyrical best, whilst the Western twang of the guitars adds a country swing to the music that instantly grabs you and leads you to a truly beautiful solo that washes across the centre of the song like the titular river. Taking the opportunity to cut loose, ‘take a little time’ is Walter doing Chuck Berry with rough-hewn guitars and a piano line that makes you want to jump up and dance in sheer delight. Following on is another rich, bluesy tale that harks back to the seminal Beano album from the Blues Breaker’s in the form of ‘the whale have swallowed me’, Walter’s fluid guitar runs offset by some great Hammond work that never fails to leave a smile on your face.
Taking a pop at the myriad rip-off merchants in the music business, ‘Willie’ is a tough blues rocker with Harmonica to spare that sinuously slips into your brain and refuses to leave thanks to its insistent central riff. Even better is the spontaneous jam, ‘Mayall’s Piano boogie’, with the eponymous piano player playing his heart out as Walter and his band sit back and enjoy the ride. It’s a wonderfully laid back number that stands as a testament to the wonderful sense of community found at the heart of the blues scene. Heading back into rockier territory, ‘born in the city’ is the type of brilliantly heavy blues that Led Zeppelin employed on the likes of ‘you shook me’, massive riffs abounding as Walter pays tribute to his roots. Next up is an instrumental based on Walter’s father’s brilliant excuse for cutting a huge fart in a restaurant! ‘Tight shoes’ is a slow, bluesy gem of a track that offers plenty of opportunity for Walter to shine on guitar before the title track (once again featuring John Mayall) explains simply that the Blues is what these veteran players have to do. Moving towards the album’s conclusion, ‘hard time’ is a funky little number, but surely the best is saved for last as Walter pays loving tribute to his wife on ‘nobody moves me like you do’, a song that is born of love and yet delivered in a way that is neither sentimental nor cloying, but simply an eloquent expression of devotion from an artist who is as full of heart as he is talented. It is the perfect conclusion to an album that is an unrestrained joy to listen to, and no better celebration of Walter’s twenty five years in the business could be held than this brilliant collection of new songs.
With Walter now in recovery, the end of this tale is, thankfully, a happy one. With plans already under way for a new album (the time in hospital and away from his guitar must have been a nightmare for Walter), Walter is set to return to stages in the future, but for now we can only be thankful that this wonderful musician never let his light dim, even during what must have been a truly terrible time. The q&a (posted below) with his wife highlights the severity of the struggle, but through it all, Walter channelled the experiences into some of the best music of his career. His music is inspirational, his playing astounding and through it all you feel that this album, beyond all the others, fully reveals the generous, warm hearted nature of a musician whose music has meant so much to so many over the years. There is no more to be said, ‘The blues came callin’’ is a near perfect album that, over the course of the last few weeks, has become one of my favourite blues releases of all time and it should be mandatory listening for all.
