Trevor Rabin, the South African guitarist, singer, multi-musician, writer, and producer, recently announced Rio, his first solo of vocal material in 34 years, set for release on October 6 worldwide. Today, Rabin launches the Rio video interview series, with Pt. 1 streaming below:

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 Jewelcase, 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.”

Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Big Mistakes"
"Push"
"Oklahoma"
"Paradise"
"Thandi"
"Goodbye"
"Tumbleweed"
"These Tears"
"Egoli"
"Toxic"

The Ltd CD+Blu-ray Mediabook & Ltd Deluxe Gatefold Red 180g 2LP + Blu-ray also features the following bonus tracks:

"Spek & Polly"
"Fragile" (Demo)
"Georgia"

"Big Mistakes" video:

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. Not just any old movies, either. 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.”

The process proved a labour of love and as with his first and second solo records, Trevor Rabin and Face To Face (from 1977 and ’79 respectively), Rabin handled just about all of the instruments himself.

Stylistically, Rio is tough to categorize. Besides guitar-driven rock-meets-pop, "Goodbye" is Country & Western with an edgy drive, while "Tumbleweed" begins in a burst of harmonies. No wonder its working title was The Demographic Nightmare.

“I wanted to get into many different areas,” Rabin states. “Of course there are ‘prog things’, but overall there are a lot of styles going on.”

As mentioned, Trevor plays the majority of the instruments on the record. However, on drums for a number of tracks is Lou Molino, while Trevor also contributes some drums and percussion. Vinnie Calaiuta provides drums on "Push", and Rabin’s son Ryan Rabin helped out with some of the most important percussive arrangements. Along the way Trevor also drafted in a couple of friends, Dante Marchi and Liz Constantine, to sing back up on two songs.