Walter Trout Survivor Blues 2LP (Blue Vinyl)

Walter Trout is no ordinary artist. Survivor Blues is no ordinary covers album. From the day he conceived the project to the moment he counted off the first song in the studio, Walter Trout had a bolder plan for Survivor Blues. "I'm riding in my car sometimes," says the US blues titan. "I've got a blues station on - and here's another band doing 'Got My Mojo Workin'.' And there's a little voice in me that says, 'Does the world need another version of that song?' So I came up with an idea. I didn't want to do 'Stormy Monday' or 'Messin' with the Kid.' I didn't want to do the blues greatest hits. I wanted to do old, obscure songs that have hardly been covered. And that's how Survivor Blues started..."

When it comes to Walter Trout, survival is an understatement. Hot on the heels of his 2017 all-star hit #1 Billboard blues album, We're All in This Together, Walter knew he had high expectations to meet for a sequel. He reflects, "It was really overwhelming. How do I follow that up? I've always respected guys who went out on a limb, like Neil Young or Bob Dylan. So, I came up with this idea to cover old, obscure songs that have hardly been covered. And that's how Survivor Blues started." What resulted is a blues covers album inspired by Walter's five-decade career, and the trials and tribulations that preceded his rise to prominence.

With help from The Doors' Robby Krieger, Walter and his Virtuosic Band cover a diverse batch of songs originally recorded by blues legends B.B. King, Magic Sam, Luther "Snakeboy" Johnson, and Floyd Lee, to name a few.

While the tracklist is eclectic, there's a cohesion to Survivor Blues that harnesses the power and spirit of the originals, while keeping Walter's inimitable music personality intact. "My idea was to arrange these songs for my band and style," Walter explains, "Not to just copy the originals note-for-note."

Returning with a covers album represents an eye-opening curveball from an artist whose original songcraft has never been more acclaimed. But Walter Trout is no ordinary artist, and this is no ordinary covers album.

"In the beginning we started thinking about these enduring songs and the guys playing on the album," Walter recalls. "Mike is in recovery. Johnny almost didn't make it. Skip has had a triple bypass, and I almost didn't make it after my liver disease in 2014. We're a group of survivors. These songs are survivors."