Guitarist / singer /songwriter/ multi-instrumentalist Richie Kotzen has signed a label deal with global music company BMG. During his performance in London on July 13th, the final date of his European tour, Kotzen announced the September 27, 2024 release date of his brand new solo studio album, entitled Nomad. The albumwill be available digitally, on CD and standard black vinyl. Presave/Pre-order Nomad here.
“After working with Richie on the successful Smith/Kotzen project” says Michael Kachko, BMG Senior Vice President, “we knew what an incredible songwriter and artist he is so we were excited to hear what he was working on as a solo artist. When he played us the new material, we knew immediately we wanted to be involved.”
“I was very much elated with the news that BMG wanted to release this album as I envisioned it without artistic compromise,” says Richie Kotzen. “I love the fact that the BMG team put their creative trust in me and my vision without re-design. So many times the business side of things can really interfere with the creative progress of a writer and with a team like this,” continues Kotzen, “the focus is on what can we do to help you beyond what you’ve already done as a recording artist. The attitude seems to be, ‘you’ve done the work as a writer- producer- musician, now let us take the ball and run’. This feels like the beginning of an amazing journey for me and a bit of a re-set in an industry that is becoming more complex to navigate for a lone artist.”
Written, recorded and produced by Richie Kotzen, Nomad features eight new tracks showcasing Kotzen’s multi- faceted musical styles with Kotzen playing almost every instrument on the album. On Nomad, Kotzen expresses his diverse techniques and influences, from hard rock to 70s infused soul and funk, jazz fusion to R&B. It’s all intertwined with his own unique playing and songwriting approach, while retaining his ever-evolving signature style.
“I came up exposed to soul, funk and R & B music extensively but at the same time I was a hard rock fan all the way,” explains Kotzen. “So I’ve got this sort of interesting dynamic happening with my music where you hear elements of Parliament or Curtis Mayfield but then at the same time you’ve got the Bad Company early Rod Stewart influence as well. Then when I started taking the guitar more seriously, I was drawn into Fusion bands like The Dixie Dregs, Return To Forever and Allan Holdsworth’s work. It is a wacky mixture but that is the formula for Richie Kotzen.”
Earlier this year Richie Kotzen released the first track from the album, hard driving single Cheap Shots (listen here) to critical acclaim. And today Richie Kotzen premieres the follow-up single, On The Table (see lyric video below), a heavy hitting rocker that had been living on his hard drive, waiting for the perfect lyric to complete it. A subconscious memory of his Brazilian father-in-law’s first English words “The book is on the table” sparked inspiration and perfectly tied it all together.
While Nomad has no shortage of heavy guitar rockers, the sheer diversity of the album as heard on tracks such as Nihilist, This Is A Test and the title track Nomad, showcases not only Kotzen’s musical range and vocal prowess, but his fearless imagination as a producer/arranger. Already globally renowned as an extraordinary guitarist, with Nomad Kotzen stands tall as a truly remarkable all-round lyricist-producer/arranger and singer.
Nomad tracklisting:
1. Cheap Shots
2. These Doors**
3. Insomnia
4. Nomad*
5. Escape
6. On The Table
7. This Is A Test
8. Nihilist
Nomad LP:
A1 Cheap Shots
A2 These Doors**
A3 Insomnia
A4 Nomad*
B1 Escape
B2 On The Table
B3 This Is A Test
B4 Nihilist
* Dan Potruch plays drums on Nomad
** Kyle Hughes plays drums on These Doors
U.S. Fall Tour:
September:
13 The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano CA
14 Whisky a Go Go West Hollywood CA
19 Goldfield Trading Post (Roseville) Roseville CA
20 Tower Theatre Fresno CA
21 Count’s Vamp’d Las Vegas NV
25 The Black Sheep Colorado Springs CO
26 HQ Live Denver Denver CO
27 Barnato Omaha NE
28 Knuckleheads Saloon Kansas City MO
30 City Winery St. Louis St. Louis MO
October:
2 The Blue Note Harrison OH
4 The Magic Bag Ferndale MI
5 The Arcada Theatre St. Charles IL
7 Jergels Warrendale PA
9 The Ridgefield Playhouse Ridgefield CT
10 Iridium New York, NY
11 Iridium New York NY
12 Iridium New York NY
15 City Winery Boston Boston MA
17 Tupelo Music Hall Derry NH
20 The Suffolk Theater Riverhead NY
22 Rams Head on Stage Annapolis MD
23 Sellersville Theater Sellersville PA
24 The Beacon Theatre Hopewell VA
25 Backseat Bar & Grill Winchester VA
29 City Winery Atlanta Atlanta GA
30 City Winery Nashville Nashville TN
November:
1 The Haute Spot Leander TX
2 Granada Theater Dallas TX