Continuing his latter-day renaissance, Robben Ford widens his palette on Into the Sun.
The very title suggests this 2015 album is bright and open, and it is.
There's a nice, relaxed groove to this record as Ford plays as much Southern-fried soul and funky jazz as he does blues.
All of these sounds intersect at Ford's sweet spot.
He's a sly, versatile guitarist who can dip into a variety of styles without seeming like a dilettante, and on Into the Sun, that includes the lazy acoustic opener "Rose of Sharon," which finds its counterpart on "Justified," a backporch blues duet with Keb' Mo'.
Other guests are here -- ZZ Ward shines on "Breath of Me," Warren Haynes spars on "High Heels and Throwing Things," Sonny Landreth shows up for "So Long 4 U" -- a sign of Ford's generosity.
Then again, this wide array of players fit neatly into Ford's soulful style, which is unified by its love of rhythm & blues -- meaning both the groove and the long, yet unflashy, solos -- and open-hearted vibe.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rose of SharonRobben Ford | Robben Ford | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 2 | Day of the PlanetsRobben Ford | Robben Ford | Play | 03:29 | 7 MB | 23 MB |
| 3 | Howlin' at the MoonRobben Ford, Kyle Swan | Robben Ford | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 4 | Rainbow CoverRobben Ford | Robben Ford | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 5 | JustifiedRobben Ford, Kyle Swan | Robben Ford | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 6 | Breath of MeRobben Ford | Robben Ford | Play | 04:52 | 11 MB | 27 MB |
| 7 | Cause of WarRobben Ford, Kyle Swan | Robben Ford | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 8 | So Long 4 UGabe Ford | Robben Ford | Play | 05:11 | 11 MB | 33 MB |
| 9 | Same TrainKyle Swan | Robben Ford | Play | 03:56 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 10 | Stone Cold HeavenRobben Ford, Pete Wasner | Robben Ford | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 11 | High Heels & Throwing Things | Robben Ford, Warren Haynes | Play | 03:22 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 42 mins | 97 MB | |||||
| 42 mins | 266 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian Allen | Bass (Electric), Bass (Upright) |
| 2 | Niko Bolas | Engineer, Mixing |
| 3 | Tyler Bryant | Featured Artist, Guitar (Electric) |
| 4 | Jim Cox | Organ, Piano |
| 5 | Cozmo Flow | Producer |
| 6 | Oscar Doniz | Assistant Engineer |
| 7 | Jeff Evans | Assistant Engineer |
| 8 | Piper Ferguson | Photography |
| 9 | Kim Flemming | Vocals (Background) |
| 10 | Gabe Ford | Composer |
| 11 | Robben Ford | Composer, Guitar, Piano, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 12 | Warren Haynes | Electric Slide Guitar, Featured Artist |
| 13 | Keb' Mo' | Featured Artist, Vocals |
| 14 | Roy Koch | Art Direction, Design |
| 15 | Sonny Landreth | Electric Slide Guitar, Featured Artist |
| 16 | Wes Little | Drums, Percussion |
| 17 | Herman Matthews | Drums |
| 18 | Gale Mayes | Vocals (Background) |
| 19 | Roger Alan Nichols | Engineer |
| 20 | Toss Panos | Drums |
| 21 | David Piltch | Bass |
| 22 | Robert Randolph | Featured Artist, Lap Steel Guitar |
| 23 | Diego Ruelas | Assistant Engineer |
| 24 | Mike Stankiewicz | Assistant Engineer |
| 25 | Kyle Swan | Composer, Harmonica, Vocals (Background) |
| 26 | Robert Vosgien | Mastering |
| 27 | ZZ Ward | Featured Artist, Vocals |
| 28 | Pete Wasner | Composer |
| 29 | Rick Wheeler | Production Assistant |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |