All of us are broken. But no-one is beyond repair. It's a philosophy that Walter Trout has lived by during seven volatile decades at the heart of America's society and blues-rock scene. Even now, with the world more fractured than ever - by politics, economics, social media and culture wars - the fabled US bluesman's latest album, Broken, chronicles the bitter schisms of modern life but refuses to succumb to them. "I've always tried to write positive songs, and this album is not quite that," considers the 72-year-old of an all-original tracklisting that rages and soothes. "But I always hold on to hope. I think that's why I wrote this album."

On what is billed as his 20th solo album, journeyman blues-rock guitarist Walter Trout seems to be intent on establishing himself as something more than a worthy successor to an older generation of blues originators, as well as a bevy of their better-known successors all old enough to be his older brothers. He has written all 12 songs himself and printed the lyrics to them in the CD booklet. Especially at first, his bid to be a singer/songwriter shows promise, with the self-deprecating and reflective "May Be a Fool" and "Open Book" leading things off, and, in fourth position, the spiritually oriented title song, "Common Ground," a prayer for universal understanding.

The iconic US blues-rock guitarist Walter Trout releases his 30th solo album, Ride via Provogue/Mascot Label Group.

Walter Trout's eponymous debut for Ruf finds the former Canned Heat and John Mayall guitarist at the top of his game, tearing through a number of original contemporary blues songs. The songwriting occasionally is a little undistinguished, but Trout sounds dynamic throughout the album, capable of fiery leads and sensitive, lyrical solos. It was made for aficionados of blues guitar, and it won't disappoint anyone looking for that kind of record.

The life of a traveling blues musician isn't easy. The vocation is rife with loneliness, bad food, cheap hotels, and lack of sleep. Walter Trout is a survivor of that life (just barely). During the late 1960s and '70s, he worked the road with Big Mama Thorton, Joe Tex, and John Lee Hooker. In the 1980s, it was Canned Heat and John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. He's led his own bands since 1990 and experienced cycles of triumph, tragedy, alcohol and narcotic addiction, and recovery from a near-fatal liver transplant that required two surgeries. Trout's dues are paid and then some. Ordinary Madness was produced by longtime collaborator Eric Corne and cut in analog at guitarist Robby Krieger's studio. Its many surprises reveal it to be unlike any other record in his large catalog.

Another in a series of undiluted blues-rock offerings from guitarist Walter Trout, Relentless, his 11th disc since 1990, doesn't offer any surprises. Released in conjunction with a DVD, the album was recorded live in the Netherlands club The Paradiso on a single day with little post-production sweetening or audience intervention. This results in a successful balance between sonics and concert sparks. For those who relish his by now standard brand of sturdy, guitar-heavy, Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired music, Trout is in fine fret-shredding form here. But fans who'd like to see Trout swim in some new waters will find little of that on this outing.

New Jersey-born blues-rocker Walter Trout spent decades as an ace sideman, playing guitar behind the likes of John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton, and Joe Tex. In 1981, he was also tapped to replace the late Bob Hite in Canned Heat, remaining with the venerable group through the middle of the decade. While filling in one night for an ailing John Mayall, Trout (also a Bluesbreaker for some five years) was spotted by a Danish concert promoter who agreed to finance a solo tour. Assembling his own backing band, he released his debut LP in 1990, Life in the Jungle, trailed a year later by Prisoner of a Dream. Albums including 1992's Live (No More Fish Jokes), 1994's Tellin' Stories, and 1997's Positively Beale Street followed.

For Walter Trout, there is no 'us' and 'them'. Across his five-decade career, the great US bluesman's music has always been a lifeline and call-to-arms, reminding listeners they are not alone. Now, as the world seeks solace from a tragedy that has touched us all, he comes armed with a boundary-exploring new studio album and eleven searingly honest songs that bring his fans even closer. "There's a lot of extraordinary madness going on right now," considers Trout, of the COVID-19 crisis. "This album started because I was dealing with the flaws and weakness inside me. But it ended up being about everyone." Ordinary Madness was completed mere days before the US shutdown, its cathartic songcraft and themes of shared troubles couldn't chime better with a period in which our souls and spirits are under fire from tumultuous global events.