Last Friday, the 27th, Richie Kotzen debuted his new solo studio album, Nomad , now available via BMG – you can also purchase your physical copy at our Wikimetal Store .
In Nomad , Kotzen expresses his diverse techniques and influences, ranging from hard rock to 70s soul and funk, from jazz fusion to R&B. The album is available digitally, on CD, and on sky blue vinyl.
Although Nomad features a good dose of heavy guitar tracks, such as the singles “Cheap Shots” and “On The Table”, the album's diversity, evidenced in tracks like “Nihilist”, showcases not only Kotzen's musical range and vocal ability, but also his fearless imagination as a producer/arranger. Already world-renowned as an extraordinary guitarist, with Nomad , Kotzen establishes himself as a remarkable lyricist, producer/arranger, and singer.
“My approach to the Nomad album was to imagine it as if I were offering it only on vinyl,” Kotzen explains. “Which songs would live together in that format and how would I sequence side A versus side B, and so on. As it turned out, the song 'Nomad' became the closing track of side A and 'Nihilist' of side B, since both compositions were written around the same time, I felt they were perfect pairings. I’m very excited to finally be able to share all these compositions in the full release. I hope people feel the music the same way I do.”
“'Nihilist' may be the foundation of the entire album, in my view,” says Kotzen. “It’s certainly the oldest composition, as I’ve been holding onto this master recording for a few years. I knew it was a special song and I wanted people to hear it, but it wasn’t clear to me how to do that. I mean, it could have been a single, but the timing wasn’t right. When I felt I was on the path to making a full album, it became clear to me that this would be the closing track, regardless of what came before.”
Written, recorded, and produced by Richie Kotzen, Nomad features eight new tracks showcasing Kotzen's multifaceted musical styles, with him playing nearly every instrument on the album. All of this is interwoven with his unique playing and songwriting style as he continues to evolve his musical signature.