Robin Trower – Come And Find Me: Album Review

By John Barlass on 7th May 2025 • ( Leave a comment )

Robin Trower celebrates his entry to the Octogenarian Society by demonstrating that age is no barrier to dexterity and sheer melodicism. New album Come And Find Me ranks with his very best!

Release Date: 25^th April 2025

Label: Provogue Records

Format: CD / Vinyl / Digital

THIS PROLIFIC MAN

He’s prolific, that’s for sure. Robin Trower is now officially an octogenarian (he celebrated his 80^th birthday in March) but signs that the great man may be considering slowing his rate of output are, so far, thin on the ground. New album, Come and Find Me is Robin Trower’s 27^th collection of original material and his beat rate currently verges on one album per year.

Come and Find Me follows Joyful Skies, Robin’s 2023 collaboration with US blues singer/songwriter Sari Schorr. And, alongside the ongoing new album activity, there’s also an interesting reissue programme underway as Robin’s string of classic Chrysalis albums from the mid seventies each reach their 50^th anniversary. Last year, we celebrated the Golden Jubilee of Robin’s groundbreaking Bridge Of Sighs; this year, it’s the turn of the equally triumphant For Earth Below. But we’ll save the details of THAT event for another day…

A ROBIN TROWER ALBUM IN EVERY SENSE

Come and Find Me is a Robin Trower album in every sense. The Fender Stratocaster/ Marshall stack combo that contributes so much to Robin’s signature sound is present and correct and Robin’s Hendrix-inspired fluid, melodic guitar solos are here aplenty. The passage of time has done nothing to diminish this man’s musicality or dexterity.

But that isn’t to say that Robin Trower hasn’t moved with the times. In particular, the lyrics to many of these new songs are highly reflective of the loves, hates, hopes and fears that accompany life in the UK and, perhaps more so, the USA in 2025. As Robin says: “Musically, there’s a strong R&B flavour behind it, but its obviously rock ‘n’ roll. Lyrically, I think that the world has become a lot darker in the last ten or twenty years. But there’s always hope. There’s more good people in the world than there are bad.”

Robin’s studio band are intact, too. Chris Taggart retains his place on the drumstool and Glenn Letsch is back to play bass on a couple of tracks (Robin covers that responsibility himself on most of the album). Vocalist Richard Watts is back, too, with his earthy, gritty – often soulful – vocals and Jess Hayes guests on one track to add an extra dose of soulfulness to proceedings. The sound is excellent throughout – well balanced and crystal clear.

OODLES OF GLORIOUS WAH-WAH GUITAR

It’s lead single, A Little Bit Of Freedom, that gets Come And Find Me off to a blistering start. The song’s lyrics – “I don’t need no-one to think for me…” – express Robin’s frustrations with the “…red tape and rules that are really constricting things around the world.” Robin continues: “Too much red tape, not enough freedom to think – it’s got to where you feel straitjacketed!” The song is a strident rocker in the best Trower tradition; the bass and drums are rock-solid and Robin explores the freedom that he pleads for in the song’s title with oodles of glorious wah-wah guitar.

The swampy One Go Round was, apparently, one of those songs that competent musicians get to work up in the studio. It came together quickly and the result is a number that is delightfully broody and immediate. The bass is resonant and Richard’s vocals channel Paul Rogers, whilst Robin’s guitar simmers and bubbles. And the lyrical sentiment – “You only get one go round…” is particularly poignant for those of us who were there when Robin Trower first entered the international psyche.

HONESTY AND ANGUISH

Richard’s vocals on the hard-driving I Would Lose My Mind remind me so much of the early James Dewar days, whilst the slow-building, sultry, title track recalls Free at their Fire And Water zenith whilst, by his own admission, Robin enters James Bond territory with the excellent Take This Hurt Away. “That song actually started when I thought to myself one day, ‘I wonder what I would come up with if they asked me to write a song for a James Bond film?’” explained Robin. The answer to that question is – a tune with a distinct air of mystery and lyrics that ooze with honesty and anguish. And, of course, the obligatory guitar solo that stretch es out and reaches for the clouds.

Robin reflections on the times we live in are, perhaps, most eloquently expressed by lyrics like: “We need to each other better – or we’ll like each other less,” in The Future Starts Right Here. It’s another solid rocker and Robin’s solo is, once again, breathtaking. London blues/soul vocalist Jess Hayes puts heart and soul into her raunchy, gritty vocals for Tangled Love. It’s funky, with a hard rock edge – or should that be hard rocking with a funky edge? The backing vocals add a dash of soul and, once more, Robin stamps his soaring trademark loudly and clearly.

GLISTENING SMOULDER

Come and Find Me is peppered with sounds that bring Robin’s 70s glory days vividly to life and the magnificent Capture the Life Begun is a particular case in point. It’s Long Misty Days that comes to mind in a song that the album’s press release describes perfectly as: “Glistening smoulder.” Robin’s considered guitar solo is thoroughly uplifting and there’s sympathetic tone to Richard’s vocals.

We return to the tropic of present day challenges for Without A Trace, one of my absolute favourite tracks on the album. Speaking about the song, Robin said: ”That song is about all the lies in politics, mostly, and on social media. You know, this absolute out-and-out lying, to try and influence people.” Robin’s lyrics are well-considered and well-advised and there’s an invigorating mix of riffing and solos – what more could one wish for?

ROBIN TROWER – AT HIS VERY, VERY, BEST…

Penultimate track, I Fly Straight To You is a pleasant, soulful rock song with a funky foundation. Richard’s vocals are heartfelt and Robin’s guitar solo is electric, with a capital ‘E.’ But it’s closing track, Time Stood Still that brings Come And Find Me to its rousing conclusion. It’s a stunning song in which, once again, Robin Trower reminds us of who he is and what he can do. This time, it’s Daydream, from Robin’s 1973 debut album, Twice Removed From Yesterday, that comes to mind. Robin makes optimum use of all the space at his disposal for his engaging solos and the listener is left to dream and absorb the magical sounds. And the song ends on a soft note that is every bit as effective as a resounding crash. This is Robin Trower at his very, very best.

Reflecting on the making of Come And Find Me, Robin had this to say: “In one way, I can’t believe that I’m still going at 80. It’s kind of scary. You know that you’re way down the road and you think you could hit a brick wall at any time. But I still love doing this. For me, there’s nothing more rewarding than working on a new song.”

I somehow think that there’ll be more to come from Robin Trower…

TOUR DATES

And – there IS more…! A Robin Trower live show is always an exhilarating experience and he’ll be out on the road with his band during May. Try to pop along if you’re in the vicinity of the following venues on the appropriate days: