The Waterboys' long-awaited new album Modern Blues will be released on January 19th. The album was recorded in Nashville, produced by Mike Scott and mixed by the great Bob Clearmountain. Modern Blues is an electric, soulful, bold, freewheeling rock'n'roll record with a skinful of killer new songs, some of which have been premiered live over the past few years. Ralph Salmins, a mainstay on drums for the past four years, appears alongside the talismanic Steve Wickham, who weaves a dizzying fuzz fiddle spell on several tracks. Fresh to the ranks are Memphis keyboard player “Brother” Paul Brown and David Hood, legendary bassist from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Additional lead guitars are played by 2013 US Waterboy Jay Barclay and Austin soul guitarist Zach Ernst. Guest backing vocalists include southern soul legend Don Bryant. The album cover is a green man photograph titled The King Of Weeds, by New York artists Kahn and Selesnick. Modern Blues will be accompanied by a worldwide tour and details will be announced soon.
Track listing:
1. Destinies Entwined 5.45
2. November Tale 5.18
3. Still A Freak 3.59
4. I Can See Elvis 5.47
5. The Girl Who Slept For Scotland 4.56
6. Rosalind (You Married The Wrong Guy) 5.09
7. Beautiful Now 3.58
8. Nearest Thing To Hip 5.42
9. Long Strange Golden Road 10.23
MODERN BLUES SHOWS IN FEBRUARY
The Waterboys will play two UK shows to launch Modern Blues. These will be the first UK performances by the new live line-up of Mike Scott, Steve Wickham, Ralph Salmins, Brother Paul, David Hood (bass) & Zach Ernst (lead guitar). Tickets are available for pre-sale Thursday 9th October, and on sale to the general public Friday 10th October.
Looks like Patterson's dad is the new bass player in the Waterboys