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Robben Ford - Two Shades Of Blue - Provogue

Robben Ford needs no introduction as he is up there as

one of the best jazz influenced blues guitarists on the
scene. As well as his songwriting he is also considered a
guitarist’s guitarist. His new solo album, “Two Shades

Of Blue” was recorded in the UK and US, with two differ-
ent sets of musicians.

The album opens with the nice and funky ‘Make Your
Own Weather’, lots of groove and some nice touches of Hammond organ in there
too. Things slow down a little with a cover of the John Lennon song ‘Jealous Guy’.

This one didn’t quite work for me as it came across a little disjointed. However,
there are some lovely guitar licks in there so I suppose there is always a silver lining!
‘Perfect Illusion’ is a great rock tune with hints of Steely Dan. Things slow down

once again with a great rendition of the old blues classic ‘Black Night’.

The title track ‘Two Shades Of Blue’ is a jazzy instrumental, quite modal in parts and
has shades of Larry Carlton. ‘The Fire Flute’ is a lovely flowing instrumental that
sounds like it could be used as a TV soundtrack. ‘The Light Fandango’ is a lovely jazz
funk inspired instrumental that acts as a vehicle for some spectacular guitar sound

effects and oh that Hammond sound, so delicious! The album closes with another
instrumental ‘Feeling’s Mutual’ a lovely funky guitar with some cinematic sounds

that really rock.

This album was originally intended as a tribute to Jeff Beck. In fact, Robben went
out and bought a Strat specially for the project and you can hear the effect on the

final three tracks of this album. You can pick out those Jeff Beck sounds and nuances
in there that Robben has challenged himself to seek out and exploit.

Having seen Robben Ford live recently I can vouch first hand that he can produce
these well crafted arrangements on stage too. In fact he had Jonny Henderson
alongside him that night, one of my favourite keyboard players and that lush Ham-

mond really enhances the overall sound of this album. There are nice touches of
brass in there too which makes for a well produced album overall. To me Robben is

an exceptional talent and what this album shows is his desire to push the boundar-
ies of his sound into new territory. This is a great album and a must for any guitarist
out there.

Ged Wilson