Walter Trout Alive In Amsterdam (2-CD)

(2016/Provogue) 16 tracks.
Alive in Amsterdam is the sound of a man announcing his resurrection after a period on the ropes. As Walter Trout's army of international fans are painfully aware, recent times have taken the bandleader to the brink, following a bleak diagnosis of life-threatening liver failure and hepatitis C in 2013. Trout's rebirth began with a successful transplant in May 2014, and gathered pace with 2015's Battle Scars: the acclaimed studio album that channeled his near-death experience into raw autobiographical songs. With songs pulled from every era of his five-decade career, the Alive in Amsterdam set is potent stuff indeed, from the stinging Luther Allison cover "I'm Back," to the plaintive B.B. King tribute "Say Goodbye To The Blues," which builds from neck-tingling guitar swells to a stunning virtuoso climax. Battle Scars is well-represented by the harmony-bolstered rocker "Almost Gone" and the raucous "Tomorrow Seems So Far Away," while Trout is joined by his son Jon for “"Rock Me Baby," and even finds time for a fistful of fan favorites, including "The Love That We Once Knew" and "Marie's Mood." Walter Trout - voc,gtr, Johnny Grparic - bass, Sammy Avila - hammond B3, Michael Leasure - drums, plus Jon Trout - gtr, Andrew Elt - voc,gtr.