We have covered quite a bit of the work of Robin Trower in recent years here at MetalTalk. I have reviewed his last two records, 2022’s No More Worlds To Conquer and last year’s Come And Find Me, whilst we have also featured his recent live sets in London at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Six decades since his debut with Procol Harum, Robin now releases the live album, One Moment In Time: Live In The USA.
Robin Trower – One Moment In Time: Live In The USA
Release Date: 30 January 2026
Words: Paul Hutchings
One Moment In Time: Live In The USA was initially recorded across the USA in 2025 before being honed down to performances at two venues, the Music Box At The Borgata, Atlantic City, New Jersey (14 June) and the Tupelo Music Hall in Derry, New Hampshire (24 June).
“The new album is the best take of each song from those two nights,” Robin explains. “It’s about the performance but also down to the sound quality. You have to choose carefully. I did a lot of listening.”
It not only demonstrates once more what a player Robin Trower is, but also allows him time to reflect. “I first came here with Procol Harum in the late ’60s. Back then, it was a different world. We started off in New York, and that was pretty scary, with police sirens going all through the night. And then, when we got to California, you thought you had landed in paradise. Amazing times. I think my US profile started to grow from there.”
Across 14 songs, drawn from his extensive discography, Robin Trower proves that there is no substitute for live performances. It is worth getting Bridge Of Sighs out of the way first, for there are four songs drawn from that seminal album included.
“Those songs have to be in there, because they’re the audience’s favourites,” he says of these roaring renditions of Too Rolling Stoned, Day Of The Eagle, Little Bit Of Sympathy and Bridge Of Sighs’ title track. “That album is still a very powerful piece of music”.
Indeed, it is, and the lengthy improvised Blues workouts that embellish Too Rolling Stoned and Bridge Of Sighs are a masterful demonstration of the dexterity and feeling that Robin has continued to bring to these songs since the album was released over 50 years ago.
Alongside Robin, we find Richard Watts, who does a fine job on bass and vocals, and drummer Chris Taggart, whose laid-back style provides a concrete foundation for the flowing music.
One Moment In Time: Live In The USA is possibly a great place to start for those new to someone who would rightly object to being labelled a heritage artist.
There is a magnificent version of Daydream, a glorious 12-minute workout from 1973’s debut Twice Removed from Yesterday, as well as deep cuts like Distant Places Of The Heart from his 2007 collaboration with the late Jack Bruce, Seven Moons and 1994’s Rise Up Like the Sun (from 20th Century Blues).
Both are delivered in Robin’s instantly recognisable, relaxed but beautiful style, which finds you dreamingly drifting to other places at times. But it is not just turn up and play here, for the emotion that surges through those fingers, especially on Distant Places Of The Heart, is something that is unique to this UK legend.
“I particularly get into that one,” he says. “It’s such a buzz to play. You pick up a lot of energy from the crowd – the audience reaction over there in America is really inspiring. Predominantly, this crowd is the same people who came early on in my career, but a lot of them now bring their kids too.”
It’s not all legacy here, mind, for there are a selection of tracks from the more recent releases, four from No More Worlds To Conquer and a fiery, almost Hendrix-flavoured One Go Round from Come And Find Me.
I found myself completely immersed in his playing from the first play, something that few blues artists are able to do for me. There is something spellbinding about his ability to make his signature Fender Stratocaster sing, and with Watts smoky drawling vocals adding exactly the right balance, it is an album to go to time and again.
A unit that has been linked tightly for over a decade, Robin is clear that Watts and Taggart are the right fit. “I’m very fortunate to play with guys of this calibre. We’ve been working together now for a good ten years. They have to watch me a bit, because obviously I’m leading and they have to follow. But they do a brilliant job.”
Every Robin Trower album contains gems, and to have a selection like this wrapped up in one place is like getting that perfect box of chocolates. It is pleasing in every aspect, one that will be welcomed by his hardcore fan base, and one that should also be embraced by those who may not be familiar with his work.
“I’m a different player on the stage,” considers the 80-year-old. “It’s almost impossible to get to that point in the studio. It’s the sound of the guitar, it’s the volume, it’s the crowd. For what I do, it takes one hundred per cent commitment for it to work.
“But if you do it well, it’s life-affirming”. Amen to that.
Robin Trower releases One Moment In Time: Live In The USA on 30 January 2026 via Artone / Provogue. Pre-orders are available via lnk.to/RobinTrower.
