Known primarily as a blues-rock shredder, Walter Trout is also a prolific songwriter, with an eye for lyrical detail, and his Broken album embraces an impressive sprawl of Americana and melodic-rock genres. He sings and blows a pretty cool harmonica too.
With tracks ranging from the fire-and-brimstone narrative of Heaven Or Hell to the gentle romantic ballad I Wanna Stay, co-written with his wife Marie, Trout testifies about the life and times of a 72-year-old rock’n’roll delinquent with a righteous touch.
‘I’ve been sanctified and terrified, I’ve been denied and thrown aside,’ he yells (along with Dee Snider) on I’ve Had Enough. Best of all is the title track, a heroic, punch-the-air power-duet with Beth Hart – another of rock’s messed-up-soul survivors – who joins him on his journey from social disintegration to spiritual redemption: ‘These pieces break away, and all that I have left is out here on display.’
Heavy and heartfelt.
