Relentless is the fourth solo live album and the first official video album by American blues rock musician Walter Trout, credited to Walter Trout and the Radicals. Released on August 12, 2003, by Ruf Records, it features a recording of the group's performance at the Paradiso in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on May 14, 2003. The video version, titled Relentless: The Concert, features additional tracks, including two recorded at a show the night before at the same venue.
Background
In January 2003, Walter Trout and the Radicals announced that they would be recording two performances at the Paradiso on May 13 and 14 for a live album and video release.[2] In an attempt to make the album "more interesting and set it apart from the rest", they opted to perform entirely new material in the set.[3] The album is Trout's first to feature keyboardist Sammy Avila and drummer Joey Pafumi, who joined the band in September 2001 and April 2002, respectively.[2]
Relentless was released between August and September 2003 – on August 12 in the US, August 18 and September 1 in various European territories, September 20 in France, and September 22 in the UK.[4] The video, Relentless: The Concert, was released on November 3 in the Netherlands and December 2 in the US.[5]
Reception
Commercial
Relentless registered at number 12 on the US Billboard Blues Albums chart, the same position as Trout's 2001 studio album Go the Distance.[6]
Media response to Relentless was mixed. AllMusic contributor Hal Horowitz wrote that the album's production – with "little post-production sweetening or audience intervention" – "results in a successful balance between sonics and concert sparks".[1] He added that "For those who relish his by now standard brand of sturdy, guitar-heavy, Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired music, Trout is in fine fret-shredding form here. But fans who'd like to see Trout swim in some new waters will find little of that on this outing."[1] Horowitz concluded his review by claiming that "a little of this goes a long way, and 73 minutes is too much for all but the most relentless fans".[1]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Walter Trout, except where noted
