Review by Col Palmer for MPM
Robin Trower is one of the most quintessentially and justly acclaimed British blues elder statesmen, over the past fifty-plus years since his departure from Procol Harum, he has assembled an incredible body of work, from his commercial high-water mark with the epochal Bridge of Sighs album in 1974, through to this, his latest offering One Moment In Time: Live In USA.
The fourteen songs on this new live album offer a partial overview to Trower’s extensive back catalogue, spanning more than five-decades as a solo artist and stretching as far back as 1973. There are several songs from more recent albums interwoven with tracks originally recorded with bass supremo Jack Bruce and four songs from his classic 1975 album, Bridge Of Sighs, still considered a blues rock standard by many.
With material carefully chosen by Trower often reaching back and rescuing items hidden deep in his oeuvre, this selection drawn from shows recorded last year at the Music Box At The Bogota in Atlantic City and at the Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, New Hampshire, perfectly capture the sound and performance of his current trio, comprising Richard Watts on bass and vocals, accompanied by Chris Taggart on drums.
Never the greatest raconteur, yet seeing and hearing Robin Trower on stage is somewhat of a spiritual experience, his guitar prowess and tone is instantly recognisable and second to none. Take the nine-minute perennial classic, ‘Bridge Of Sighs’ it’s still sublime heard in a live setting, and this recording is impeccably produced and mastered. Propelled by the sound of a guitar dominating the air and aided by some of the most splendid musicianship around, this is the proof of the longevity and constant virtuosity of Robin Trower.
The gritty powerful vocal delivery of Richard Watts and the solid, steady, straightforward backbeat supplied by Chris Taggart allow Trower’s guitar licks to soar, especially on stalwart renditions of ‘Too Rolling Stoned’ and ‘Day Of The Eagle’.
When I interviewed Trower in 2025 for a radio broadcast he said this of ‘Day Of The Eagle’: “I love to play it live, people love it and it’s still as potent today for me as when we first recorded it. The song has a fantastic guitar riff and I think that’s the underlying strength of it and quite an exciting track to play with very good energy to it and people still like to hear it there’s no doubt about that.”
As well as many firm favourites there are plenty of Trower’s more recent work and deeper cuts on offer here. ‘The Razor’s Edge’ is one of four tracks from 2022’s fabulous No Worlds To Conquer album while the slower paced and moody ‘Distant Places Of The Heart’ is notably nostalgic pulled from his Seven Moons collaboration with Jack Bruce.
‘One Go Round’ is the only representation from last year’s Come And Find Me album, featuring one of Richard Watts’ finest vocal performances. Robin told me last year that this song was his favourite track on the studio album: “I really love it because I think it’s one of the few tracks that shows off my Howlin’ Wolf influences,” he continued, “the other reason I like it is because I get to free-form the lead guitar on it and I really love doing that, it’s just a very natural feeling piece of music altogether.”
Live In USA draws to a close with a lengthy guitar work-out on ‘Daydream’, taken from 1973’s Twice Removed From Yesterday, concluding with another classic tune from Bridge Of Sighs, ‘Little Bit Of Sympathy’. In what seems like no time at all the trio encore with the rocking ‘Rise Up Like The Sun’ and finally bring the curtain down with a terrific emotional version of ‘Birdsong’.
In a world of three-chord guitar riffs, back-track samples and AI, it’s important to pay homage to actual guitar playing, soul searching and self-aware songwriting. While Trower doesn’t break much new ground on Live In USA he doesn’t need to. At the grand age of eighty and recovering from recent health setbacks, he sounds strong and in control and his guitar playing is as commanding as ever.
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