Trevor Rabin, the South African guitarist, singer, multi-musician, writer and producer, recently announced “Rio”, his first solo album of vocal material in 34 years, set for release on the 6th October 2023 worldwide. Today he is pleased to launch the third track taken from the album, the emotionally powerful ‘Oklahoma’.
Trevor explains: “In 1995 I wrote the germ of a lyric inspired by the devastating bombing in Oklahoma. It traumatized the entire nation and will always be a dark day for the country. Thirty plus years later I believed the time was right and ok to tackle the song I had written. It’s dedicated to family and friends who lost loved ones.”
Watch the video, created by Christian Rios, below.
Pre-order “Rio” HERE
“Rio” will be available as a Ltd CD+Blu-ray Mediabook, Ltd Deluxe Gatefold Red 180g 2LP + Blu-ray (including 8-page LP-booklet and obi strip), both featuring bonus material, 5.1 surround sound liner notes. Also available as Standard CD Jewel-case, Gatefold 180g 2LP+LP-booklet (with etching on side D), and as Digital Album. The cover for the album was created by Trevor himself: “I dabble with digital art so I sent some images of mine to the label and was pleasantly surprised when they liked them”.
Although he has carved a lengthy and diverse career, Johannesburg-born Rabin is best known for membership of the band Yes over a 12-year, four-album spell that began in 1983, his smash hit song ‘Owner Of A Lonely Heart’ of the same year topping America’s Billboard chart and inspiring the iconic prog-rock band to cross over into a far larger audience. Rabin was inducted to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with the band in 2017 and more recently teamed up with former Yes members Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman in the trio ARW.
“Rio” track-listing:
1. Big Mistakes
2. Push
3. Oklahoma
4. Paradise
5. Thandi
6. Goodbye
7. Tumbleweed
8. These Tears
9. Egoli
10. Toxic
Given that his previous vocal-led solo album, “Can’t Look Away”, was released in 1989 (2012’s “Jacaranda” was all-instrumental), Rabin has kept us waiting for more than three decades for a follow-up. Trevor admits that there was pressure from all sides, including his own family, to have speeded up the process. However, the delay is excusable. Since leaving Yes following the “Talk” album in 1994 and largely as a prequel to touring as part of ARW in 2016, the guitarist entered the time-consuming world of movie soundtracks. Trevor’s name appears as composer for such blockbusters as Con Air, Armageddon, Remember the Titans, Enemy Of The State, Deep Blue Sea, Glory Road, and Gone In 60 Seconds and both National Treasure movies, amongst many others.
“Over the past ten years I was having ideas, concepts that I couldn’t implement due to my busy schedule,” he explains, adding: “To be honest, those years flew by in a flurry. I knew that this was the time, and once I found my momentum I worked on the album 24/7.”
