Mike Scott's The Waterboys set return in early '15

The Waterboys will release a new album, Modern Blues, via Kobalt on Jan. 20. The album is a first for the band, fully recorded in Nashville.

Produced by Waterboys leader Mike Scott and mixed by Bob Clearmountain, Modern Blues, the band’s eleventh studio effort, contains nine songs.

Said Scott, “I set out to make a record with an ensemble playing live, to get that performance spirit. It’s how I recorded 'Fisherman’s Blues.'” To that end, he corralled old hands and new friends. Ralph Salmins, a mainstay on drums for the past four years, appears alongside Scott and longtime Waterboys fiddler Steve Wickham on several tracks.

Fresh to the ranks of the group are Memphis keyboard player “Brother” Paul Brown, and David Hood, bassist from the heyday of FAME studios and Muscle Shoals. “I’ve got the man who played on “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” on bass!” Scott laughs. “He and Paul had a huge impact on the sound.”

Asked why he chose to record in Nashville, Scott (who lives mostly in Dublin) explained, “Nashville has a reputation as Music City, USA and I fancied some of that. It’s one of the few cities that still has a recording studio industry intact, which brings the spur of competition. I know that across town Jack White's making a record, The Black Keys are making theirs. I like that competitive feeling, it’s exciting. It's a spur.”

Following 2011’s An Appointment with Mr. Yates, the band embarked an extensive North American tour in 2013.

Modern Blues is arriving at a time when the relevance and popular reach of The Waterboys has never been greater. In 2013 Ellie Goulding scored a top 3 UK hit with their “How Long Will I Love You” and earlier this year Prince performed “The Whole of the Moon” solo at the piano during his Hit + Run show at Ronnie Scott’s in London. “A Pagan Place” has also recently become a live staple for The War on Drugs.

The Waterboys have just announced two UK shows for February and a North American tour is in the works with details to be announced.

Track Listing:

Destinies Entwined
November Tale
Still A Freak
I Can See Elvis
The Girl Who Slept For Scotland
Rosalind You Married The Wrong Girl
Beautiful Now
Nearest Thing To Hip
Long Strange Golden Road

UK Tour Dates:
 
Feb 2, 2015 - Coventry, UK Warwick Arts Centre
Feb 3, 2015 - London, UK Roundhouse