Guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Richie Kotzen will release his brand new solo studio album, titled “Nomad”on September 27 via BMG. The effort will be available digitally, on CD and standard black vinyl.
Richie you have premiered the official video for “Insomnia”the third single from “Nomad”. The track is described in a press release as “a moodier, melancholy affair. While it still contains his hard rock sensibilities, Kotzen‘s deep Philly musical roots shine through with a funkier bridge and chorus. The verses simmer with a sleepless anxiety until the sunburst of its earthy chorus line pushes through.”
Fittingly, the main melody for “Insomnia” came to Richie While he was sleeping and as inspiration struck, he immediately woke up, fired up his studio and, not wanting to lose the creative momentum, worked through the night and what would become “Insomnia” emerged.
“I was woken up with that chorus melody and in that moment I had no idea the title would be ‘Insomnia’,” explains Kotzen. “Although the song was written around the chorus melody, the actual end recording relies heavily on the bass guitar and how it is treated. I’ve got more than one bass track playing at the same time in order to get that sound you are hearing “It’s interesting that I’m known as a guitarist but the bass guitar plays such an integral role in my music and in my songwriting. So much of what I create comes out of the bass guitar lines that I write.”
Written, recorded and produced by Kotzen, “Nomad” features eight new tracks showcasing Kotzen’s multi-faceted musical styles with Kotzen playing almost every instrument on the album. on “Nomad”, Kotzen expresses his diverse techniques and influences, from hard rock to ’70s-infused soul and funk, jazz fusion to R&B. It’s all intertwined with his own unique playing and songwriting approach, while retaining his ever-evolving signature style.
“I came up exposed to soul, funk and R&B music extensively but at the same time I was a hard rock fan all the way,” he explains Kotzen. “So I’ve got this sort of interesting dynamic happening with my music where you hear elements of PARLIAMENT or Curtis Mayfield but then at the same time you’ve got the BAD COMPANY early Rod Stewart influence as well. Then when I started taking the guitar more seriously, I was drawn into fusion bands like THE DIXIE DREGS, RETURN TO FOREVER and Allan Holdsworth‘s work. It is a wacky mixture but that is the formula for Richie Kotzen.”
Earlier this year, Kotzen released the first two tracks from the album, hard-driving single “Cheap Shots” and follow-up single, “On The Table”a heavy-hitting rocker that had been alive on his hard drive, waiting for the perfect lyric to complete it. A subconscious memory of his Brazilian father-in-law’s first English words “The book is on the table” sparked inspiration and perfectly tied it all together.
While “Nomad” has no shortage of heavy guitar rockers, the sheer diversity of the album as heard on tracks such as “Nihilist”, “This Is A Test” and the title track “Nomad” showcases not only Kotzen‘s musical range and vocal prowess, but his fearless imagination as a producer/arranger. Already globally renowned as an extraordinary guitarist, with “Nomad” Kotzen stands tall as a truly remarkable all-round lyricist-producer/arranger and singer.
“Nomad” track listing:
01. Cheap Shots
02. These Doors**
03. Insomnia
04. Nomad*
05. Exhaust
06. On The Table
07. This Is A Test
08. Nihilist
* Dan Potruch plays drums on “Nomad”
** Kyle Hughes plays drums on “These Doors”
Michael Kachko, BMG senior vice president says: “After working with Richie on the successful SMITH/KOTZEN project, we knew what an incredible songwriter and artist he is so we were excited to hear what he was working on as a solo artist. When he played us the new material, we knew immediately we wanted to be involved.”
Kotzen states: “I was very much elated with the news that BMG wanted to release this album as I envisioned it without artistic compromise. I love the fact that the BMG team put their creative trust in me and my vision without re-design. So many times the business side of things can really interfere with the creative progress of a writer and with a team like this the focus is on what can we do to help you beyond what you’ve already done as a recording artist. The attitude seems to be, ‘you’ve done the work as a writer, producer [and] musician, now let us take the ball and run’. This feels like the beginning of an amazing journey for me and a bit of a re-set in an industry that is becoming more complex to navigate for a lone artist.”
Photo credit: Vecc Schiafino
