Robin Phillips is about to Return From The Source of the blues with his first album of new original music in over 20 years — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Following the success of his 2019 jazz standard concept album Re-Versed, the border-crossing and genre-crossing Return From The Source (out March 28) was inspired by a motorbike road trip from Chicago to New Orleans — a journey that British singer, songwriter and pianist Phillips embarked on to better understand the history and path of jazz and blues music in the U.S.A.
During this life-changing journey (and inspired by what he encountered), Robin started writing down ideas for songs in a notepad, fleshing them out upon returning to the U.K. Many of the songs on the album are about the places he visited — including New Orleans, Clarksdale, and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama — but the trip also brought other thoughts and feelings into clear focus, about England and the world in general.
Each original song on the album tackles a different topic. Many of the tracks were inspired directly from the places he visited on the road trip (1,2,3,5,10), with others inspired by topics he has been pondering over the years (6,7,9) or books that have had an impact on his thoughts about the world (4). An eclectic mix of styles can be heard on the recording, enhanced by musicians from all over the globe, including Billy Kilson (New York City), Leroy Jones, James Martin, Dan Ostreicher (New Orleans) and Damian Nueva (Cuba / Paris), as well as Robin’s U.K. musicians including Neil Cowlan on electric guitar, Natalie Rozario on cello / vocals, Louis Thorne, Jihad Darwish and Rob Anstey on bass, Claire Brock and Alex Best on drums, with guest contributions by Stacey Dawson on sax, Sam Sankey on trombone and London’s Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir.
The album follows Robin’s 2020 documentary Back To The Source, which includes footage from the road trip, live performances, and interviews with people Robin met along the way, including: Steve Melton (chief engineer in the 1970s, Muscle Shoals Sound Studio), Dexter Allen (blues musician and Grammy winner), David Hood (bass player, The Swampers, Muscle Shoals), and James Martin (New Orleans jazz musician).The film received its world premiere at the Clarksdale Film Festival in Mississippi in 2020 and had its U.K premiere at the Doc’n Roll Film Festival in London the same year, winning multiple awards including Best Documentary Feature at the King’s Cross Film Awards in 2022. During filming, Robin recorded with The Dexter Allen Band from Jackson, Mississippi at Muscle Shoals, an experience which proved invaluable for the development of Return From The Source. The new album tries to return to a more authentic approach to the recording process, getting as many musicians together in the room as possible, and working together to capture the vibe of the songs in a single take.
Throughout his career, Robin has lent his sought-after talents as a session musician to a range of successful projects, including being a founding performer with multi-platinum, global jazz-house phenomenon Berlioz, whose ground-breaking EP was recorded at Robin’s recording studio with Robin on piano and Rhodes. Robin also runs, arranges for, and is the frontman of London’s ever-popular Pinstripe Suit speakeasy swing band, which has held a monthly Saturday residency at the world-renowned Nightjar speakeasy in London for over a decade. With Return From The Source, Robin showcases his songwriting and performance skills in their full glory, presenting a sincere and thoughtful body of work that fully reflects an artist who has learned how to transform his dreams to reality.
Return From the Source was recorded at repmusic studio in Cambridgeshire, Master Chord in London, Marginy Studios in New Orleans and private facilities in New York City and Paris. It was mixed by Sam Inglis and mastered by Tim Debney at Fluid Mastering. Robin will launch Return From The Source with a show at PizzaExpress Live in Holborn, London on March 26. Tickets cost £20 and are available HERE.
Check out some videos from and about the album above, read the full track list and hear more from Robin Phillips below, and join him on his website, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.
Return From The Source Track Listing
1 | Ode To Nola
2 | Muddy Water
3 | Sam’s Sound
4 | See What You Wanna
5 | Sign Of The Times
6 | Brother
7 | Reset
8 | The Scene
9 | Objective Philosophy
10 | I’m Coming Home
