PAT TRAVERS – Retro Rocket (2015)

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Following up his Frontiers Record’s last studio album, the awesome Can Do, PAT TRAVERS returns March 17 with his latest opus entitled “Retro Rocket“.
Even after three and half decades of smoking hot guitar licks, powerful vocal performances and just plain kick ass, foot stomping rock & roll, the legendary guitar slinger is still firing on all boosters.
Fresh off the Rock Legends Cruise in February, Travers takes the helm of another ship with “Retro Rocket”, a powerful new album of studio recordings of songs co-written with his band.
Yes, although under the moniker ‘Pat Travers’, this is a real, well oiled band, not just a solo album.

As its name suggests, “Retro Rocket” finds Travers digging deep into the early years of his outstanding career, finding inspiration in the fiery grooves of 1978’s Heat In The Street and, of course, his monumental 1979 live album Go For What You Know.
But don’t be fooled; this new record sounds polished and bright, with high doses of melody.
The lead off track, “I Always Run,” kicks things into high gear with a multi-layered, guitar chugging hard rock thumper that shows this veteran rocker isn’t about to slow his pace.
And even when things do slow down, like the first half of the gospel-tinged “Who Can You Turn To,” it turns out to be mere build up to a massive climax of shredding solos, giant drum fills, and all out frenzied rockin’ ecstasy. Travers’ voice shines throughout the album, seeming to only get better, more raw, more passionate with age.

“Up Is Down” is driven by a monster groove, “Mystery at the Wrecking Yard” adds some heavy blues, and “Hellbound Train” turns quite heavy.
“I Wanna Be Free” is a ballad, yet still rocking with muscular riffs, preceded by the whiskey soaked “I Am Alive”, another stomper showing that, indeed, Pat Travers is still alive and rocking.
Seems Pat is indeed returning to his late Seventies roots in his way of playing, using less guitar effects, just the Les Paul plugged to the valvular amp cranked to 10. Additionally, there’s some tracks with a typical Fender sound, and he is not using guitar picks, just his fingers.
There’s also contributions by talented Joe Stump on the 6-strings, and it’s really fun to see included “Lead Me Home”, the song Travers’ composed & performed for The Walking Dead, one of my favorite TV Shows.

Evidently, on “Retro Rocket” Pat Travers is trying to recapture that raw kind of feel that he and most hard rock bands were doing in the Seventies because they had to – there was no other way to record then if you wanted to sound ‘real’ and rocking.
The overall result is ass-kicking. Travers and his band Rocks like few, with true energy and honesty, delivering a record sounding ‘they don’t make it like this anymore’.
“Retro Rocket” is pure, unadulterated classic rock / bluesy hard rock with an edge but plenty of melody.
Highly Recommended.

01 – I Always Run
02 – Searching for a Clue
03 – Who Can You Turn To
04 – Up Is Down
05 – Mystery at the Wrecking Yard
06 – You Can’t Get Their from Here
07 – I Am Alive
08 – I Wanna Be Free
09 – Hellbound Train
10 – Looking Up (Live)
11 – Lead Me Home (Theme from The Walking Dead)

Pat Travers – Guitar, Vocals
Brian Kinsey – Vocals
Neil Carpenter – Bass
Kevin Ryan – Bass
Scott Telles – Bass
Lisa Cameron – Drums
Sean Shannon – Drums
Joe Stump – Guitar
Jürgen Engler – Guitar
Amanda, Elijah & Monica Travers – Backing Vocals
The Travettes – Backing Vocals

BUY IT !
www.amazon.com/dp/B00SKFJK9Y
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