Rod Stewart The Tears Of Hercules 180g LP

Sir Rod Stewart's rekindled love of songwriting grows stronger on his 31st(!) album, The Tears Of Hercules. It's Stewart's fourth new album of original songs since 2013 when he reconnected with his songwriting muse to record Time, the chart-topping album which entered the Top 10 in the US and ten countries worldwide, including #1 in the U.K., where it's been certified double-platinum. For his latest, Stewart wrote nine of the album's 12 songs, including the first single, "One More Time."

To make The Tears Of Hercules, Stewart once again worked with Kevin Savigar, the keyboardist-songwriter-composer who has co-produced Stewart's last three studio albums: Time (2013), Another Country (2015), and Blood Red Roses (2018). Their long-running collaboration began in 1978 when Stewart invited Savigar to join his studio and touring band. In addition to "One More Time," they also co-wrote the standout tracks "Hold On" and "All My Days." Stewart co-wrote "Born To Boogie (A Tribute To Marc Bolan)" with Emerson Swinford, the guitarist in his band. Stewart, Savigar, and Swinford share songwriting credit on "I Can't Imagine." Additional covers on the LP include Stewart's joyful take on Soul Brother Six's "Some Kind Of Wonderful," and his stirring rendition of Johnny Cash's "These Are My People."

"I've never said this before about any previous efforts, but I believe this is by far my best album in many a year," Stewart himself crowed on social media.

The two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee says he's looking forward to playing some of the new songs live next year during his North American Tour. It will start on July 1, 2022, in Fort Worth, Texas, and includes 19 shows.