Full Circle (Walter Trout album)

{{Infobox album

| name = Full Circle

| type = studio

| artist = Walter Trout and Friends

| cover = WalterTroutFullCircle.jpg

| alt =

| released = {{start date|2006|6|20}}

| recorded = January 21 – March 8, 2006

| venue =

| studio = {{hlist|Liquid Recording Studio (Toronto, Ontario)|Mad Dog Studios (Burbank, California)}}

| genre = {{hlist|Blues rock{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/full-circle-mw0000411991 |title=Full Circle – Walter Trout |last=Horowitz |first=Hal |work=AllMusic |accessdate=June 24, 2024 }}|electric blues}}

| length = 70:39

| label = {{hlist|Ruf|Provogue}}

| producer = Walter Trout

| chronology = Walter Trout solo

| prev_title = Deep Trout: The Early Years of Walter Trout

| prev_year = 2005

| next_title = Hardcore

| next_year = 2007

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Full Circle

| type = studio

| single1 = Workin' Overtime

| single1date = {{start date|2006}}

}}

}}

Full Circle is the ninth studio album by American blues rock musician Walter Trout, credited to Walter Trout and Friends. Recorded between January and March 2006 in Canada and California, it was self-produced by Trout and released on June 20, 2006, by Ruf Records and Provogue Records. Alongside the main lineup of Trout, bassist Rick Knapp and drummer Richie Hayward, the album features guest performers on every track, including Trout's former bandmates John Mayall and Coco Montoya. Full Circle reached number 2 on the US Billboard Blues Albums chart and number 16 on the UK Jazz & Blues Albums Chart.

Background

Recording for Walter Trout's ninth album took place at Liquid Recording Studio in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and Mad Dog Studios in Burbank, California, between January 21 and March 8, 2006. According to its announcement press release, the album is intended to be "a celebration of the diverse styles within the blues genre", and represents "the realization of [Trout's] long held dream to invite musician-friends from his 35+ year career to compose and play together with him".{{cite news |url=http://waltertrout.com/press_release_15.htm |title=The Blues Comes "Full Circle" with Walter Trout & Friends |publisher=Fishnet Productions |date=May 2, 2006 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909043429/http://waltertrout.com/press_release_15.htm |archivedate=September 9, 2006 |accessdate=June 25, 2024 }} Alongside a core band lineup of Trout, bassist Rick Knapp and drummer Richie Hayward, Full Circle includes guest performers on every song, including former John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers bandmates John Mayall and Coco Montoya, Provogue labelmate Joe Bonamassa, and former bandleader Melvyn "Deacon" Jones.

Walter Trout and the Radicals (including Knapp, drummer Joey Pafumi and keyboardist Sammy Avila) toured in promotion of Full Circle during late 2006 and early 2007.{{cite web |url=http://www.english-network.de/hurd-about-bonn/live-trout-cooks.html |title=Live Trout Cooks |last=Hurd |first=John |work=English Network |date=November 20, 2006 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206060425/http://www.english-network.de/hurd-about-bonn/live-trout-cooks.html |archivedate=December 6, 2006 |accessdate=June 26, 2024 }} During the touring cycle, the band also completed a short tour in the UK, the Netherlands and Germany under the name of the Walter Trout Power Trio, with Avila stepping back from the lineup for a limited time during March and April 2007.{{cite web |url=http://www.waltertrout.com:80/news.htm |title=Latest News |publisher=Fishnet Productions |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070102103402/http://www.waltertrout.com:80/news.htm |archivedate=January 2, 2007 |accessdate=June 26, 2024 }} In July 2007, the band self-released Hardcore, featuring recordings from the tour as a trio.{{cite web |url=http://www.waltertrout.com/discography.htm |title=Discography |publisher=Fishnet Productions |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070821004411/http://www.waltertrout.com/discography.htm |archivedate=August 21, 2007 |accessdate=June 26, 2024 }}

Reception

=Commercial=

Following its release on June 20, 2006, Full Circle debuted at number 2 on the US Billboard Blues Albums chart – Trout's first release to break into the top ten.{{cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/walter-trout/chart-history/blu/ |title=Walter Trout Chart History: Blues Albums |work=Billboard charts |accessdate=June 26, 2024 }} Outside the US, it registered at number 16 on the UK Jazz & Blues Albums Chart – Trout's first release since Positively Beale St. in 1997 to reach the top 20.{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/albums/walter-trout-band-tellin-stories/ |title=Tellin' Stories – Walter Trout Band |publisher=Official Charts Company |accessdate=June 26, 2024 }}

=Critical=

Media response to Full Circle was positive. AllMusic writer Hal Horowitz suggested that "Deep blues fans will still probably shy away due to the album's guitar heavy appeal and Trout's tendency to overextend his furious solos. But for the blues-rocker who loves a rugged blast of electricity and barrages of notes played with no-frills intensity, this is arguably Trout's most listenable, impressive, and diverse album yet." The Norwegian blues magazine Blues Music Club selected it as its record of the month for March 2006, proclaiming that "This is not just a blues/rock album. It's a celebration of blues music as Walter Trout sees it. It has been about honestly sharing this genre of music that he loves with the audience and with musician friends delivered with an open mind and delivered straight from the heart."{{cite magazine |title=Walter Trout & Friends – Full Circle |magazine=Blues Music Club |publication-date=March 2006 |location=Notodden, Norway |url=http://www.waltertrout.com/Notodden%20Mag%202006.pdf |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061113144208/http://www.waltertrout.com/Notodden%20Mag%202006.pdf |archivedate=November 13, 2006 |accessdate=June 26, 2024 }}

Track listing

{{Track listing

| headline = Full Circle track listing

| extra_column = Featured artist

| title1 = She Takes More Than She Gives

| writer1 = Walter Trout

| extra1 = John Mayall

| length1 = 8:41

| title2 = Workin' Overtime

| writer2 = {{hlist|W. Trout|Marie B. Trout}}

| extra2 = Jeff Healey

| length2 = 5:48

| title3 = Firehouse Mama

| writer3 = {{hlist|W. Trout|Eric Sardinas}}

| extra3 = Eric Sardinas

| length3 = 5:07

| title4 = Who's Listenin' In

| writer4 = {{hlist|W. Trout|M. Trout}}

| extra4 = Coco Montoya

| length4 = 6:51

| title5 = Slap Happy

| writer5 = Junior Watson

| extra5 = Junior Watson

| length5 = 2:31

| title6 = Wrapped Around Your Finger

| writer6 = W. Trout

| extra6 = Guitar Shorty

| length6 = 5:02

| title7 = A Busy Man

| writer7 = James Harman

| extra7 = James Harman

| length7 = 7:40

| title8 = Highway Song

| writer8 = {{hlist|W. Trout|John Mayall}}

| extra8 = John Mayall

| length8 = 2:54

| title9 = When Will It Ever Change

| writer9 = {{hlist|Luther Allison|James Solberg}}

| extra9 = Bernard Allison

| length9 = 4:57

| title10 = Can't Help Falling Apart

| writer10 = W. Trout

| extra10 = Finis Tasby

| length10 = 4:00

| title11 = After Hours

| writer11 = Erskine Hawkins

| extra11 = Deacon Jones

| length11 = 6:48

| title12 = Clouds on the Horizon

| writer12 = {{hlist|W. Trout|Joe Bonamassa}}

| extra12 = Joe Bonamassa

| length12 = 7:51

| title13 = Full Circle

| writer13 = Larry Keene

| extra13 = Larry Keene

| length13 = 2:29

| total_length = 70:39

}}

Personnel

{{columns-list|

Band members

  • Walter Trout – vocals, guitar, harmonica, production
  • Rick Knapp – bass (tracks 1, 4, 6 and 8–12)
  • Richie Hayward – drums (tracks 1, 6, 8 and 10–12)
  • Joey Pafumi – drums (tracks 4 and 9)
  • Sammy Avila – organ (tracks 4 and 9)

Featured guest musicians

Additional guest musicians

  • Alec Fraser – bass (track 2)
  • Al Webster – drums (track 2)
  • Dave Murphy – organ (track 2)
  • Jonny Ray Bartel – bass (track 5)
  • Bill Bateman – drums (track 5)
  • Buddy Clark – bass (track 7)
  • Steven Hodges – drums (track 7)
  • Rob Rio – piano (track 7)
  • Danny Timms – piano (track 8)

Additional personnel

  • Eric Corne – engineering, mixing
  • Peter Doell – mastering
  • Gary E. Smith – cover photography
  • Andrew Elt – inlay photography
  • Marie B. Trout – photography
  • Neil Zlozower – photography

}}

Charts

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ Chart performance for Full Circle

!scope="col"|Chart (2006)

!scope="col"|Peak
position

scope="row"|Blues Albums (Billboard)

|2

scope="row"|UK Jazz & Blues Albums (OCC)

|16

References

{{reflist}}