The full result of the partnership between Richie Kotzen and Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden is now available. This Friday, the 26th, the guitar and vocal duo released the debut album of their project, Smith/Kotzen .
The album features nine tracks and was recorded in the Turks and Caicos Islands in February 2020, before the pandemic. Produced by the duo and mixed by Kevin “Caveman” Shirley, the album has references to classic 70s rock and also touches on blues and R&B at times.
“We had a very fluid songwriting process,” Richie said about the songwriting process. “Sometimes Adrian would send me a riff and I’d immediately come up with some kind of melody or idea for the vocals. And sometimes it was the other way around, so it was almost a circular process. We’d get together whenever we could to play around and create ideas and they would evolve, which was great because there was no pressure, just the natural course of things, and I think the album really represents that.”
Adrian Smith added that he and Richie “get along very well.” “Richie and I started working together a few years ago. We’re friends and had been playing together for a few years before that,” he said. “We both share a love for classic rock and blues rock, so we decided to get together and start writing some songs and went from there. Basically everything on the album was decided by me and Richie, including the production. We developed a strong idea of how we wanted the record to sound and I’m very happy with the result. It has many incredible songs that we are very excited about.”
Listen to the Smith/Kotzen album on your preferred digital platform or via the Spotify player below:
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