RICHIE KOTZEN

(UNITED STATES)

NOMAD

(2024)
LABEL:

AUTRE LABEL

GENRE:

ROCK

TAGS:
Bluesy, Experimental, Funky, Fusion, Groovy, Jazzy, Technical
"“Nomad”, Richie Kotzen's 23rd solo album, is a compendium of virtuosity and eclecticism that nevertheless lacks the unity to stand out as a must-have in his rich discography."
NEWF (02.01.2025)  
3/5
(0) opinions (1) comment(s)
Richie Kotzen never stops. After celebrating his 50th birthday in 2020 with the generous 50-song “50 for 50”, collaborating with Adrian Smith on a remarkable album and showering The Winery Dogs' “III” with his class, he returns in 2024 with his 23rd solo album, “Nomad”. Much shorter than its predecessor, this new opus of eight tracks and less than 35 minutes, a veritable condensation of groove and virtuosity, is a perfect synthesis of the artist's eclectic and virtuoso universe.

Richie Kotzen impresses right from the album's first two tracks. First with 'Cheap Shots', its incisive rock riff and energy worthy of the best Rolling Stones, and then with 'These Doors', driven by an imposing bass, an irresistible jazz-funk groove and the American's unique soul voice. In just two tracks, Kotzen sums up the extent of his talent, between groovy rock and inspired jazz-rock.

And that's just the beginning, because he then pushes his taste for experimentation and contrasts even further. These include “Insomnia”, where dark verses contrast brilliantly with luminous soul-funk choruses, the title track “Nomad”, with its complex bass lines and bold jazz-rock, and “Nihilist”, an experimental, almost progressive track strongly influenced by Frank Zappa.

With “Nomad”, Richie Kotzen once again demonstrates his incredible versatility. A virtuoso guitarist with an inimitable style, a singer with a velvety voice and an inhabited performer, he also recorded the bass and drums himself on the majority of the tracks, all of which stand out for their intrinsic quality and impeccable sense of composition, with the exception of 'This Is A Test', a dispensable acoustic ballad that lacks breadth and depth.

But eclecticism has its limits, and “Nomad”'s shortcoming is precisely the lack of a real common thread, which leaves a feeling of incompleteness and makes this album an exercise in style, certainly brilliant, but not really essential in a career marked by far more memorable peaks. A good album, no doubt, but not the one that will mark the history of an artist as prolific as he is singular.
- Official website

TRACK LISTING:
01. Cheap Shots
02. These Doors
03. Insomnia
04. Nomad
05. Escape
06. On The Table
07. This Is A Test
08. Nihilist

LINEUP:
Richie Kotzen: Chant / Guitares
   
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(1) COMMENT(S)    
 
 
NUNO777
02/01/2025
  0
L'analyse de Newf est pertinente, comme toujours il faut l'avouer. Mais c'est justement ce choix sans ligne directrice qui me réjouit dans ce trop court album. J'ai certainement un biais avec cet artiste que j'aime tant.
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