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Robben Ford has announced new album Pure – a nine-track offering which is set to be the blueselectric guitar god’s first instrumental outing since his 1997 record Tiger Walk.
Set for an August 27 release, Pure will also be Ford’s first new solo material since the release of 2018’s Purple House, and is described by the virtuosic lick wizard as “the most complete representation of my personal musical vision”.
Ford has recruited the musical services of a series of music heavyweights for his upcoming outing, including drummers Nate Smith, Toss Panos, Shannon Forest and more.
The five-time Grammy-nominated guitar player is also set to unveil the album’s lead single, White Rock Beer… 8 Cents, this Friday (May 13), and has shared a sneak sonic peek at the track on his Instagram page ahead of its official release.
The post teases a track that finds Ford at the peak of his powers, jamming over a 12-bar blues sequence and constructing some effortlessly tasty off-the-cuff improvised licks, extended pentatonic phrases and jazz-infused scale runs.
Of the upcoming record, Ford said, “Pure is unlike any recording I’ve ever done. I’ve always been a traditionalist in the way I’ve worked in the studio: bring a great band into a great room with a great engineer, track songs for three to five days, do any overdubbing necessary, then mix and master.
“I started Pure in that same way. But, somehow the influence of other musicians on the music, which is inevitable, always felt a little off,” he revealed. “It became clear to me that I had to shape this new music myself from the ground up.
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“My engineer and co-producer, Casey Wasner, proved invaluable in making that happen and most of the music you’ll hear in this recording was accomplished by the two of us working together in his studio, Purple House.
“Having worked this way, I feel that Pure is perhaps the most complete representation of my personal musical vision,” he continued. “Previous recordings have been products of a period of development that lead to the music represented here.
“It’s been very satisfying to have shaped my own compositions so thoroughly and to deliver something so completely my own.”
Robben Ford’s Pure is available to preorder now ahead of its release on August 27.
Matt is the GuitarWorld.com News Editor, and has been writing and editing for the site for five years. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 19 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. During his GW career, he’s interviewed Peter Frampton, Zakk Wylde, Tosin Abasi, Matteo Mancuso and more, and has profiled the CEOs of Guitar Center and Fender.
When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt performs with indie rock duo Esme Emerson, and has previously opened for the likes of Ed Sheeran, Keane, Japanese House and Good Neighbours.
