Colin Linden: From the Water

At lest count, Colin Linden has performed on over 300 albums, including multiple Grammy winners Oh Brother Where Art Thou and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ Raising Sand. Linden’s latest effort, From the Water, is homage to his dear friend and keyboardist Richard Bell, who passed away in 2007 after the duo performed on more than 100 albums together.

From the Water is far more stylistically diverse than the acoustic blues heard on his last recording, Easin’ Back to Tennessee. Here, Linden can be heard stretching much further, exploring groovy funk and soul on some songs, while other tracks are slow blues ballads. The imagery of water is present throughout, specifically on the title track, written the in the wake of the floods that followed Hurricane Katrina.

Though much of the material on From the Water sounds familiar, this album plays like a series of songs dedicated to old friends, making for an enjoyable way to spend a Sunday afternoon.