ANDY TIMMONS – Recovery (2025) *HQ*
Former Danger Danger guitarist / songwriter ANDY TIMMONS is releasing a new studio album titled ”Recovery”, and those who have followed his career over the decades, the body of work captured here may be his best record to date tied to his tone, taste, and compositional skills clearly becoming a realized vision.
As his playing continue to evolve, fans of his hard rock roots will be thrilled with tracks like title track “Recovery,” “Between Brothers,” “Love > Hate,” and “It Doesn’t Mean Anything,” while there is also no shortage of Andy’ s trademark melodic and emotional playing on songs like “Why Must It Be So?”, “Arizona Sunset,” and “Where Did You Go?”.
Timmons reconvened with the players who contributed to his really good 2021 album Electric Truth for the ”Recovery” sessions: Jeff Babko (Steve Lukather Band, Larry Carlton) on keyboards, Lemar Carter (Joe Bonamassa) on drums, Travis Carlton (Robben Ford Band) on bass, and Deron Johnson (Miles Davis, Stanley Clarke) also on keyboards.
Although we don’t follow the world of “instrumental guitar rock” as fervently we did in the ’80s, when a staple like Andy Timmons releases a new album, we take note.
His last album, Electric Truth (featured at 0dayrox), quickly became a favorite of the year, and for good reason. Not one to be constrained by any particular genre or label, Electric Truth saw the accomplished hard rock/shred guitarist veer off into the unpredictable worlds of blues and jazz rock, and to great success at that.
Those who prefer their guitar albums on the hard rocking, energetic, and shred-tastic side of the spectrum will be pleased to know that ”Recovery” is a return to the sound and approach that made Timmons a household name amongst six-string circles.
While it’s not a hard rock album through and through (in the textbook sense of the term), it definitely rocks harder than its predecessor, and balances fiery shows of instrumental force with flavorful outliers, the latter of which occasionally channels the finesse of said predecessor.
So for the sake of this affair, we’ll call it a hard rock album in the “instrumental rock” sense of the term.
After a brief delicate intro in the form of “Elegy for Jeff”, a tribute to the fallen legend Jeff Beck, Timmons and company get down to business, tearing it up with the muscular title track. With its gusto and force, “Recovery” recalls the spontaneity of Mk. II Purple amidst an onstage jam, which is further enforced by Timmons’ Blackmore-esque guitar melodies and soloing.
“Love > Hate” continues the rampage, starting off humble and unassuming before picking up the pace drastically. The same can be said for “Between Brothers”, with its speed metal drumming and face-melting guitar solos.
When Timmons and his band aren’t tearing it up like the glory days of “shred” guitar, they throw in some much welcomed palette cleanses that do more than merely change the pace of the album; they add to its character. Exotic cuts like “Where Did You Go?” and “Lost in This World” definitely give off Electric Truth vibes, while “Why Must It Be So?” could’ve very well landed on Top 40 radio circa 1970 had a set of lyrics and a Motown singer been thrown on top.
The honor of choice cut goes to “It Doesn’t Mean Anything”, which boasts the swagger and stomp of prime ZZ Top. Melodic break aside, this rowdy boogie banger gets your blood boiling in the best way possible.
As said, we’re rather out of the loop when it comes to instrumental rock / shred / guitar albums these days, but you’d be amazed if another album within this niche comes close to the originality and firepower of ”Recovery”.
Even after all these years, Timmons manages to balance flashy musicianship with undeniable songwriting chops, all without ever coming off as derivative or contrived.
Bravo maestro Andy, bravo!
01 – Elegy For Jeff
02 – Recovery
03 – Love > Hate
04 – Where Did You Go?
05 – Between Brothers
06 – Lost In This World
07 – It Doesn’t Mean Anything
08 – Why Must It Be So?
09 – Something Good’s Gonna Come
10 – Almost Home
11 – Arizona Sunset
Andy Timmons – guitars
Jeff Babko (Steve Lukather Band, Larry Carlton) – keyboards
Lemar Carter (Joe Bonamassa) – drums
Travis Carlton (Robben Ford Band) – bass
Deron Johnson (Miles Davis, Stanley Clarke) – keyboards
BUY
store.andytimmons.com/products/andy-timmons-recover-signed-cd-pre-order
