Today’s news bleeds with horror and disgust: grieving parents, grandstanding politicians dancing atop dead children. An administration aggressively preventing mothers from feeding their children and equally determined to destroy the American consumer in the false god Mother Gaia’s name. Ukraine is suffering and death. Davos-seeking globalists auditioning to LARP the Antichrist. These are the times that try men’s souls.
These are the moments when we have greater need for art than ever. Choose one of the following methods: literature, art, painting, acting or sculpture; or, what ever you prefer, music. These methods offer a blessing from the chaos of life and commonplace situations. They are a reminder that there’s more to life than the ordinary and the terrible.
It is not without cost. You might get a small blister on your finger, or a large blister on the tip of your thumb. There is a reason why so many in the arts throughout the centuries have veered into, if not succumbed to, madness’ assorted permutations — chemicals, suicide, and other self-destructive behaviors. The art world is a delicate balance between embracing and defending the creativity of God while also doing all they can to prevent falling into madness when man in intimate contact with the perfect God. Others, on the other hand, have managed to find the right balance, and live full, happy lives that are not ruined by their mistakes.
That leads us to Robin Trwer.
Trower was a British blues/rock guitarist who briefly held the spotlight in 1970s music fan era. Trower was not a showman. His Fender Stratocaster did the talking while Trower’s bass player James Dewar sang the songs. Nevertheless, Trower packed arenas on the strength of both his playing and, in the case of his best-known album (1974’s Bridge of Sighs), equally strong material consisting of both fire and vision-inducing contemplative slow pieces, each built on and punctuated by Trower’s mastery of heavy blues technique and tone. Although Trower’s star descended during the latter 1970s, he never seemed to mind, happily following his muse, releasing a steady stream of albums, and regularly touring for the faithful.
Trower’s latest effort, You can conquer all the worlds!It was published in May 2022. He considers it one of the best albums he has ever made. Trower, after a couple of albums in which he was responsible for most aspects, has now handed over the vocal duties to Richard Watts, his bass player. Watts’ grainy tenor adds a touch of smoldering funk to the mix, an element longtime Trower fans are familiar with from his late 1970s releases Midnight Caravan City Dreams. The album’s overall mood is late-night reflective; music made for times when one mulls over life’s deeper elements.
Trower has reached 78. Although Trower is not showing signs of lethargy or slipping into the latter days, his new album places more emphasis on taste than haste. This album is not full of high-speed moments. Even with the slow beats and slow pace, You can conquer all the worlds! never drags. Its songs are unfailingly melodic, providing the perfect backdrop for Trower’s expressive guitar playing. He plays richly in his unique tone. It is a sound that transcends the dissonance and wahwah of youth and favors depth and texture.
Trower is not everyone’s cup of tea. One can easily imagine the average Dua Lipa fan recoiling in horror at the sight and sound of this elderly man who hasn’t had a Top Ten album in 46 years playing a guitar style presently quite out of fashion. But for those with ears to hear and a heart attuned to the soul, Robin Trower’s You can conquer all the worlds!It is a refreshing tonic in the current madness that plagues us all.
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