XI CD
€ 14,90^*

XI LP (coke bottle green vinyl)
€ 24,90^*

For decades, BEN ARNOLD has been creating his own version of amplified American roots music, broadcasting that sound from venues across America and Europe. He turns a new page with XI, a roots-rock record that finds the road warrior bridging the gap between personal insights and universal statements. Intimate one minute and anthemic the next, XI highlights just how wide-ranging Arnold’s songwriting has become over the past quarter-century.

By the 2020s, he’d already contributed to more than 30 albums. When the Covid-19 pandemic brought everyday life to a halt, though, Arnold found himself stuck at home, unable to continue collaborating with others. Looking to make sense of an unsteady world, he dug into his craft — and into himself.
Ever the traveler, Arnold headed to Los Angeles once restrictions lifted. There, he reunited with producer Shane Smith (his musical partner in the band Pistol For Ringo, as well as engineer of Los Lobos‘ acclaimed record Tin Can Trust) while simultaneously working on the East Coast with Barrie Maguire (The Wallflowers, Natalie Merchant, and more). What began as a casual recording session at Hetson Sound, the SoCal studio owned by Circle Jerks guitarist Greg Hetson, quickly turned into something more substantial, with Arnold assembling a band of longtime friends and collaborators from multiple different genres. Others contributed to the sessions remotely — including Pete Thomas, longtime drummer for Elvis Costello and the Attractions, who tracked songs like „Catch The Lightning,“ „Anywhere But Here,“ and „Peace, Love & Understanding“ (which found him warmly commenting, „I love this song! You know I played on the first one!?“) from home. Back in Philadelphia, Ben and Maguire recorded songs like the gorgeously heartbreaking „My America“ in a series of fast, inspiring takes, breathing new life into Arnold’s timeless influences.
Arnold certainly owns it with XI. The album reaffirms his spot in the long lineage of hard-touring songwriters who blur the lines dividing musical traditions, flying somewhere below the mainstream and high above the American underground, swirling together their own combination of folk, blues, soul, rock & roll, and classic pop. He isn’t reinventing the wheel; instead, he’s redefining the sound that kickstarted his career during the early 1990s, sharpening his songwriting with each release. In an industry that’s forever changing, he’s remained a constant force… and with XI, Ben Arnold reminds us that there’s strength in numbers.

Kommentare deaktiviert für New BEN ARNOLD album XI now available at the Blue Rose webshop!

Heart And Soul CD
€ 12,90^*

For years, Rich Hopkins has said after each new album that it will be his last. And yet, he continues to surprise us with new songs, recorded with his band Luminarios, who are based in both Tucson, Arizona, and Austin, Texas, and whom Rich and his wife Lisa commute between. What does he have to say about the new album, Heart and Soul? „Lisa and I are proud to release our new album Heart and Soul which was recorded in Austin, Texas this year. I thought I was done writing and recording but my God inspired me again to write more music with Lisa. There are some guests : Salvador Duran from Tucson on Amor de la calle and Hannah Novak singing some beautiful harmonies on Beautiful Day and Heart and Soul. Is this.our 30th Luminarios album?! Might be our best album ever!? Who knows. you be the judge. But I love it! So grateful to the players on this album: Jon, Lisa, Russ. Mike and Paul. And especially to Lars who is an amazing engineer. Love and miss you!“
Twelve new songs were produced for Heart and Soul, all but „Amor de la Calle“ composed by Rich and co-writes by Lisa on a few tracks. Lisa Novak has been an integral part of the Luminarios for many years and regularly contributes her own songs to the albums. She has proven her talent for this not only with her own releases, and her contributions to Heart and Soul, as with previous Luminarios albums, fit perfectly. This is evident not only in her compositional skills but also in her vocals, which generally remain in the background, giving precedence to her husband. Rich, of course, dominates as always with his unmistakable guitar work and consistently impressive solos, which give each Luminarios album its distinctive sound. If Rich Hopkins & Luminarios decide not to tour Germany and Europe again, fans can at least enjoy a new album, which is definitely the case with Heart and Soul.

Kommentare deaktiviert für New album „Heart and Soul“ by RICH HOPKINS & LUMINARIOS europe-exclusive available at the Blue Rose webshop!

All In CD
€ 14,90^*

All In LP (blue vinyl)
€ 24,90^*

In the 2000s, the prominent quartet US Rails was one of the most reliable and hard-working acts on the Swabian Blue Rose label. The Americans released no fewer than five major studio productions – in addition to numerous live, cover, and acoustic albums – in the past decade alone, and numerous European tours led to a steady growth of their fan base. Ben Arnold, Tom Gillam, Scott Bricklin, and Matt Muir (as well as Joseph Parsons at the beginning) are each strong singer/songwriters in their own right, with a long list of individual solo projects.

Almost three years after the last studio album, Live For Another Day, the perfectly titled sequel, All In, follows – just in time for another European tour! Songwriting and lead vocals are, as usual, very democratically divided among the creative minds. Ben Arnold and Scott Bricklin each contribute three songs, Tom Gillam contributes two new numbers, drummer Matt Muir contributes one, and Gillam/Arnold contribute a jointly composed piece, creating a very lively, highly dynamic, consistently rocking 10-track album that continues the band’s long tradition with the usual quality.
Starting off this time is regular bassist Scott Bricklin, who also excels as a multi-instrumentalist, including on various guitars and mandolin, and sings with a powerful, bright voice. „My Old Friend“ is the title of his promising Good Time Boogie to start off with. ‚Light My Way‘ follows as a restrained rocker with several powerful acoustic and electric guitars over organ and dominant vocals from Ben Arnold, before Tom Gillam celebrates his entry into this album with ‚Reckless Heart‘ in his familiar, confident manner – including compelling guitars, a striking chorus and a strong lead vocal. ‚Dirty Shame‘ is a swampy, groovy slow rocker by Scott Bricklin that captivates with its feverish, sultry atmosphere, and ‚Heavy‘ is a typically keyboard-driven, creamy, soulful Ben Arnold ballad with a clear message of community spirit, especially for those times when life isn’t going well.
Tom Gillam processes his personal relationship ups and downs in the crisp boogie rock of ‚Beautiful Mess,‘ vocally and on slide guitar very close to Joe Walsh! This is followed by ‚Promise Broken,‘ the only song by Matt Muir. With this fluid straight-forward shuffle, which dissolves beautifully into the chorus with melodic guitars and four-part harmony vocals, the drummer/singer has undoubtedly created another one of his signature songs!
‚Own The Game‘ is a successful co-write by Tom Gillam and Ben Arnold, who also complement each other as lead singers on this mid-tempo rocker. ‚Esta La Noche‘ is strikingly reminiscent of the legendary Sir Douglas Quintet: a Spanish pop rocker with a catchy chorus reminiscent of ‚Nuevo Laredo’/’Mendocino‘. US Rails concludes their new album with another Scott Bricklin song. ‚Songs Of Freedom‘ sends us off with an irresistible, catchy chorus, plenty of retro ’60s charm, and a very simple, perhaps naive, yet so true message for these times: „Songs of love, we need them, we need songs of freedom, everybody gonna sing it now!“

Kommentare deaktiviert für US RAILS are back with new album and extensive tour through Germany, Spain and Italy!