From soul and jazz to blues, rock, and fusion, there are few musical landscapes untouched by Robben Ford’s masterful touch. On his latest single, the brass-laced soul ballad ‘Perfect Illusion’, he delivers a performance that feels both radiant and timeless.
This is the second single to be taken from his upcoming new album, ‘Two Shades of Blue‘, which will be released on the 27th of March via Provogue/Artone.
“That was written back in 1999 on my own during a period of writing with Michael McDonald,” Ford says. “I went out to get some air and on the gravel driveway, I saw what looked like a jewel. I look closer and it’s a drop of water, reflecting the light. And I thought: ‘Hah, perfect illusion’.”
Loading into Eastcote Studios with engineer George Murphy, the chemistry is palpable, with Ford’s guitar and vocals leading a first-call band that takes in drummer Ianto Thomas (Mark Knopfler), keys man Jonny Henderson (Otis Grand), bassist Robin Mullarkey (Paloma Faith) and a brass section comprising of Paul Booth (saxophone), Ryan Quigley (trumpet) and Trevor Mires (trombone). “Great cats,” smiles Ford. “London has been incredible for finding musicians. This place is loaded, even better for me than Nashville or LA.” The album also features the incredible talents of bassist, Darryl Jones (The Rolling Stones), Keyboardist Larry Goldings and Gary Husband on drums for the instrumental songs, ‘The Fire Flute‘, ‘The Light Fandango‘ and ‘Feeling’s Mutual‘.
The album opens exquisitely with the brittle groove of its first single. ‘Make My Own Weather‘.. “That’s one of my favourite straight-up, slamming blues things I’ve ever written,” says Ford. “It’s about a guy reclaiming his freedom. I tried to create the rumble of a motorcycle with the rhythm guitar.”
Robben Ford is a man in motion. Scan the five-time Grammy nominee’s back catalogue – a half-century hot streak that darts between jazz, rock, fusion and blues – and you’ll find a musician in a constant state of metamorphosis. Spin new album ‘Two Shades of Blue‘ – a transatlantic modern classic that shapeshifted as the sessions unfolded – and you’ll feel the risks taken and rules broken. “I have that curse,” smiles the 74-year-old guitarist. “I don’t have two records that sound the same…”
Robben feels at the top of his game right now. ‘Two Shades of Blue‘ was tracked in the US and UK with two different crack-squad bands. The album also features the incredible talents of bassist, Darryl Jones (The Rolling Stones), Keyboardist Larry Goldings and Gary Husband on drums for the instrumental songs, ‘The Fire Flute‘, ‘The Light Fandango‘, and ‘Feeling’s Mutual‘.
From his early days, Ford was a special talent. The 60s saw him backing Mississippi harp wizard Charlie Musselwhite and stretching those skills across Los Angeles with jazz giant Jimmy Witherspoon, before he fell in with the fearless adventurism of saxophonist Tom Scott’s esteemed ’70s fusion outfit, The L.A. Express.
That line-up’s blazing skills saw them recruited by Joni Mitchell for two classic albums (“the most formative two years of my musical life”), before Ford stepped out with rock royalty on George Harrison’s Dark Horse tour. That collaborative streak would continue throughout his career, from Bonnie Raitt to Bob Dylan. “I’m out there on the bandstand and this rocket ship takes off,” he recalls of his mid-’80s debut with jazz talisman Miles Davis. “For my solo, I put my head down and played every note I knew, as fast as I could. I look up, and Miles just goes: ‘Yeah’. And I’m like, ‘OK, he likes it’.”
“I still love to play,” he considers. “I’ve kept writing better music and become more acquainted with what it is to make a record. The fact that I’m all over the place musically has confused some people over the years. But I always need a change. I always want to do something different. And I’ve been that way since the very beginning…”
Tracklisting:
- Make My Own Weather
- Jealous Guy
- Perfect Illusion
- Black Night
- Two Shades of Blue
- Fire Flute
- The Light Fandango
- Feeling’s Mutual
