Relentless (Walter Trout album)

Relentless
Live album by
Walter Trout and the Radicals
ReleasedAugust 12, 2003 (2003-08-12)
RecordedMay 14, 2003 (2003-05-14)
VenueParadiso
(Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Genre
Length72:53
LabelRuf
Producer
Walter Trout solo chronology
Go the Distance
(2001) 		Relentless
(2003) 		Deep Trout: The Early Years of Walter Trout
(2005)

Relentless is the fourth solo live album and the first official video album by American blues rock musician Walter Trout, credited to Walter Trout and the Radicals. Released on August 12, 2003, by Ruf Records, it features a recording of the group's performance at the Paradiso in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on May 14, 2003. The video version, titled Relentless: The Concert, features additional tracks, including two recorded at a show the night before at the same venue.

Background

In January 2003, Walter Trout and the Radicals announced that they would be recording two performances at the Paradiso on May 13 and 14 for a live album and video release.[2] In an attempt to make the album "more interesting and set it apart from the rest", they opted to perform entirely new material in the set.[3] The album is Trout's first to feature keyboardist Sammy Avila and drummer Joey Pafumi, who joined the band in September 2001 and April 2002, respectively.[2]

Relentless was released between August and September 2003 – on August 12 in the US, August 18 and September 1 in various European territories, September 20 in France, and September 22 in the UK.[4] The video, Relentless: The Concert, was released on November 3 in the Netherlands and December 2 in the US.[5]

Reception

Commercial

Relentless registered at number 12 on the US Billboard Blues Albums chart, the same position as Trout's 2001 studio album Go the Distance.[6]

Critical

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Media response to Relentless was mixed. AllMusic contributor Hal Horowitz wrote that the album's production – with "little post-production sweetening or audience intervention" – "results in a successful balance between sonics and concert sparks".[1] He added that "For those who relish his by now standard brand of sturdy, guitar-heavy, Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired music, Trout is in fine fret-shredding form here. But fans who'd like to see Trout swim in some new waters will find little of that on this outing."[1] Horowitz concluded his review by claiming that "a little of this goes a long way, and 73 minutes is too much for all but the most relentless fans".[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Walter Trout, except where noted

Relentless live album track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I'm Tired" 6:03
2."The Life I Chose" 6:07
3."Jericho Road"
  • W. Trout
  • Marie B. Trout
4:30
4."Work No More" 5:45
5."Talk to Ya"
  • W. Trout
  • Jimmy Trapp
  • Joey Pafumi
  • Sammy Avila
5:32
6."Cry If You Want To" 4:45
7."Chatroom Girl" 5:33
8."My Heart Is True" 6:41
9."Lonely Tonight" 2:24
10."Helpin' Hand" 5:21
11."Collingswood" 4:15
12."Empty Eyes" 5:09
13."The Best You Got" 6:24
14."Mercy" 4:24
Total length:72:53
Relentless: The Concert video album track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dust My Broom"
 
2."Reason I'm Gone"  
3."Talk to Ya"
  • W. Trout
  • Trapp
  • Pafumi
  • Avila
 
4."I'm Tired"  
5."Cry If You Want To"  
6."Helpin' Hand"  
7."Lonely Tonight"  
8."The Life I Chose"  
9."Work No More"  
10."Jericho Road"
  • W. Trout
  • M. Trout
 
11."Chatroom Girl"  
12."Empty Eyes"  
13."My Heart Is True"  
14."Collingswood"  
15."The Best You Got"  
16."Mercy"  
17."It Serves Me Right to Suffer"John Lee Hooker 
18."Long Time Love"  
19."Good Enough to Eat"  

Personnel

Walter Trout and the Radicals

  • Walter Trout – lead vocals, guitar, production, cover concept
  • Jimmy Trapp – bass
  • Joey Pafumi – drums
  • Sammy Avila – organ, backing vocals

Additional personnel

  • Andrew Elt – backing vocals
  • Jim Gaines – production, mixing
  • Sjoerd Van Den Broek – live engineering
  • Paul Schoenmakers – studio engineering
  • Brad Blackwood – mastering
  • Michael Au – direction
  • Valerie Behling – design, layout
  • Marie B. Trout – photography, liner notes
  • Cor Oldenburg – photography
  • Richard Boyles – photography
  • Jerry Irving – photography

Charts

Chart performance for Relentless
Chart (2003) Peak
position
Blues Albums (Billboard)[6] 12

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Horowitz, Hal. "Relentless – Walter Trout". AllMusic. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Latest News". Fishnet Productions. Archived from the original on June 21, 2003. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  3. ^ "Walter Trout set to unleash 13th CD, Relentless". Fishnet Productions. August 8, 2003. Archived from the original on August 26, 2003. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  4. ^ "Walter Trout and the Radicals Discography". Fishnet Productions. Archived from the original on October 4, 2003. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  5. ^ "Video-DVD of the Walter Trout Band". Fishnet Productions. Archived from the original on April 2, 2004. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Walter Trout Chart History: Blues Albums". Billboard charts. Retrieved June 19, 2024.