Trevor Rabin delivers his first vocal solo album ‘Rio’ has a certain allure, but this is an album for afficiendos rather than mullet haired rockers.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Trevor Rabin
ALBUM: Rio
LABEL: InsideOut Music
SERIAL: IOM 687
YEAR: 2023
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA, South Africa
LINEUP: Trevor Rabin – all instruments except druns, lead and backing vocals * Louis Molino – drums, percussion (#1,4,5,9), backing vocals (#4) * Vinnie Colauita – drums, percussion (#2) * Charlie Bisharat – violin (#2) * Dante Marchi, Liz Constantine – backing vocals (#1 and 4)
TRACK LISTING: 01 Big Mistakes * 02 Push * 03 Oklahoma * 04 Paradise * 05 Thandi * 06 Goodbye * 07 Tumbleweed * 08 These Tears * 09 Egoli * 10 Toxic
RATING: 80/100
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Trevor Rabin Background
It’s been thirty four years since Trevor Rabin’s last vocal solo release. 1989’s ‘Can’t Look Away’. After leaving Yes in 1994, Rabin moved into the world of film soundtracks and made an illustrious career out of it, right up until present day. Nagging away at him during recent times however was his need to return to his rock roots and deliver a pure record, putting film score work on hold for a time.
The name of the album is called ‘Rio’, named after his grand daughter, while the music is an eccentric collection of songs which has meaning once the listener understands it from a lyrical perspective. After reading an interview recently conducted with Trevor prior to the release of the record, it became clear how the direction of each song would take shape based on the subject matter and lyrics.
The Songs
Trevor handles much of the instrumentation excluding drums though not exclusively. Two backing vocalists are employed, one of which is the former Idle Tears lead vocalist Liz Constantine. The guitar work and the multi part harmonies are the standout features of the album.
‘Big Mistakes’ is a trip down memory lane for Trevor. It’s quite a bustling rocker though the accompanying video doesn’t quite tell the whole story, as we observe three loved up couples frolicking around in an urban environment somewhere.
‘Push’ was the second single release, and here you’ll find much of the yesteryear Trevor Rabin attributes coming home to roost. A very bombastic affair which also includes some violin courtesy of Charlie Bisharat through the mid section.
‘Oklahoma’ is a tribute to the victims of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The musical styling includes a lot of regional country twang as Trevor gives his custom made acoustic a workout. It doesn’t lift to any great tempo, instead using spatial depth to create the mood.
‘Paradise’ features some vocoder like parts, plus a load of stacked harmony vocal parts. Mostly this is an acoustic effort with electric parts giving the chorus a boost. The solo is interesting too, played on a standard guitar but sounding like a steel guitar.
‘Thandi’ is a song about African animal poachers. The active intro sounds like a chase scene involving fleeing animals, desperate poachers and relentless park Rangers in pursuit. Where’s David Attenborough when you need a commentary?
‘Goodbye’ is another track with a pot pourri approach to songwriting. The acoustic strumming is straight out of the American south, a combination of bluegrass banjo like picking, country hoe down and rock. Unusual for sure given the context.
‘Tumbleweed’ features more multi part harmonies a la acapella, once this all subsides, things calm down noticeably, with Trevor supplying some nimble guitar picking once more, not unlike a guy like Pat Metheny for instance.
‘These Tears’ is the slow-mo track on the album. A slow tempo with lilting piano, keyboard strings and a gentle rhythm pattern. This could be Windham Hill material with vocals.
‘Egoli’ is perhaps one of the more musical arrangements on the album. It has a definite South African vibe happening, with lots of different instrumenation going on. I can imagine Trevor’s former bandmate Jon Anderson could have a field day with a track this.
‘Toxic’ is the closer. Stylistically, there’s a lot happening here too. To my ears I’m hearing a lot of modern era Toto in the mix. Listen up for the change-up moments throughout. It’s rock with an infusion of blues, jazz fusion and even reggae!
In Summary
‘Rio’ has a certain allure, but this is an album for afficionados rather than mullet haired rockers. The songs vary greatly, no one song is the same as the other, while the production is lush and full throughout. I’d have to give the album more time on the death deck to fully appreciate what’s going on, but so far I’m kinda getting it. Click on the YTM link below to investigate further.
Trevor Rabin on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
