Classic Rock Artists Set to Release Retro Albums in September

This September will have some great new releases from classic artists including Robert Plant, Eric Clapton, Santana, and Phil Collins. Each of the artists found their new sounds by traveling backwards on the musical highway. Robert Plant travels back on a road of Americana music which he twists with an all-star band and adds his own musical style to create something new. Eric Clapton brings in a team of musical all-stars to help create his album of songs he grew up with. Eric covers standards, blues, and even a brand new song. Clapton works his outstanding guitar play and contributes his vocals to make these songs his own. Phil Collins found some old Motown players to record his latest album of his Motown favorites and songs that have influenced him. Santana showed his guitar muscle by taking on some of the greatest rock guitar songs of all time.

Robert Plant

No Alison Krauss and T-Bone Burnett this time for Robert Plant. However, Robert Plant continues down his trip through Americana Music on his latest release Band of Joy which is due out September 14^th. You can't replace the talent of Alison. So, you fill in the album with more Robert and add the talented Patty Griffin for those harmony vocals. You can't replace T-Bone either. Again Robert trusts his own experience and the help of Buddy Miller to put his album together. The album is not Raising Sand, similar sounds and music coming from similar places but with a different edge. Plant continues down a musical road and comes back with something different for his second release on Rounder Records. More on his current band can be found in my article "Robert Plant to Tour This Summer, Album to Follow."

Eric Clapton

A new studio album from Eric Clapton is always a treat. Clapton will be Eric's first since The Road to Escondido with J.J. Cale in 2006 and his first solo album since Back Home in 2005. The album features one original song, lots of blues and jazz, and some standards to complete his album. It also features collaborations with artists such as "J.J. Cale, Wynton Marsalis and Allen Toussaint." It includes the standards "Rocking Chair" by Hoagy Carmichael and "How Deep My Love" by Irving Berlin. The new original song is "Run Back to Your Side." Sheryl Crow reunites with Eric Clapton providing the backing vocals on "Diamonds Made from Rain." Clapton takes his guitar, vocals, and All-Star guests to make these songs something new and different. The album Clapton will be released September 28^th.

Santana

Carlos Santana is an established guitar great. He doesn't need to do an album of great guitar classic rock tunes with an all-star cast of guest musicians. Santana's latest project "Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time" is going to disappoint a few because it only includes 12 songs. Let's face it there are more than 12 greatest guitar classics of all time in the world of classic rock. However, the album does reunite Santana with Rob Thomas who had great success with the song "Smooth." On this go around the two collaborate on the Cream classic "Sunshine of Your Love." The album starts of with Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" with Chris Cornell on vocals. Next Santana covers the Rolling Stones song "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" with Scott Weiland. The album goes on with guests such as India.Arie, Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Daughtrey, NAS, Janelle Monae, Chester Bennington, Ray Manzarek, Jacoby Shaddix, Pat Monahan, Gavin Rossdale, Joe Cocker and Jonny Lang. The covers include The Beatles, Def Leppard, AC/DC, The Doors, Deep Purple, Van Halen, T-Rex, Jimi Hendrix, and Jeff Beck. Santana's latest is due out September 21^st.

Phil Collins

Phil Collins latest release is called Going Back and is scheduled for release on September 28^th. Going back is what Phil Collins does on this album. Way back to his Motown and Soul music influence. The album features "three of Motown's legendary session players, aka The Funk Brothers bassist Bob Babbitt and guitarists Eddie Willis and Ray Monette" backing Phil up. Highlights include "Heatwave", "Papa Was a Rolling Stone", and "Standing in the Shadows of Love." The album was Phil Collins "first new studio album in eight years." If fans are appreciative of Phil Collins paying tribute to his influences then the wait will be worth it.

Sources:

Robert Plant to Tour This Summer, Album to Follow

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