Recording for Go the Distance took place at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee between February 18 and March 20, 2001, with Jim Gaines returning as producer.[1] Prior to the sessions, Bill Mason took over from Paul Kallestad as the keyboardist in Trout's backing band, which was renamed The Radicals after Trout discovered that another American group had already registered the name The Free Radicals.[2] The week before the album's release, another lineup change took place as Bernard Pershey left the band after a ten-year stint as its drummer, with Kenny Soule taking his place.[3]Go the Distance was released by Ruf Records on May 22, 2001.[4]
Reception
Commercial
Go the Distance was Trout's first solo studio release to chart in the US, reaching number 12 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart.[5]
Media response to Go the Distance was mixed. Exclaim! writer John F. Butland praised the album, writing that "You won't do much better when it comes to guitar-centric electric blues-rock", comparing Trout and his band to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble.[6] Alex Henderson of AllMusic claimed that "Go the Distance falls short of remarkable, but it's a solid, enjoyable effort that succeeds because Trout is willing to be true to himself", hailing it as "an honest blues-rock/roots rock outing".[1]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Walter Trout; track 12 co-written by Jimmy Trapp, Bernard Pershey and Bill Mason
