When you�re a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, you don�t have a lot to prove. But legendary singer-songwriter and keyboardist Gregg Rolie , who holds that rare distinction as a founding member and original lead vocalist of both Santana and Journey , and who has also been a mainstay of Ringo Starr�s All-Starr Band since 2012, demonstrates that he�s at the top of his game with the release of Sonic Ranch (Megaforce Records), his first feature-length studio album in 18 years. �I didn�t plan on taking so long to record a new album,� Rolie says. �The simple fact is, I�ve been working. I�ve been writing songs over the years, and we recorded half of them by 2013. Then I got busy touring with Ringo, and I took part in the Santana reunion, Santana IV. Everything took time. Finally, when Santana IV was done, I could get back to finishing the record.� Rolie recorded the album at several studios in Texas: RMG Studio and Arylyn Studios in Austin, and the Sonic Ranch in Tornillo (the latter of which inspired the record�s title). His son, Sean, served as the main producer, with addition production handled by Chris �Frenchie� Smith and Daniel Sahad. A wide range of Rolie�s illustrious musician friends contributed to Sonic Ranch � among them are his onetime Santana mate Michael Shrieve on drums, as well as bass extraordinaire Alphonso Johnson. And he features not one, but two guitar heroes: Steve Lukather, who plays on the gutsy blues rocker �They Want It All� and the stunning album opener, Give Me Tomorrow,� and fellow Journey alum Neal Schon, who appears on the soulful ballad �Breaking My Heart� and the sinuous groover �Lift Me Up.�
Sonic Ranch�s first single is � What About Love.� The thunderous sing-along epic sees Sean Rolie displaying his own formidable guitar chops. �The song inspired by Ringo Starr and his message of peace and love,� Rolie explains. �I had started writing it, and I would and play around with it at soundchecks with Ringo. It sounded really good, so I took it home, found the bassline, and Sean produced and engineered it. There�s 15 lead vocals on it. Sean played the guitar solo and said, �It�s a little out of tune.� I said, �It�s perfectly out of tune. Let�s go!� He�s such a great player.�Rolie wrote all of the 13 tracks on the album, with the exception of �They Want It All,� which he penned with Andre Pessis and Kevin Chalfont, and the piano-driven show stopper �Look into the Future,� which he co-wrote with Diane Valory and Neal Schon � the song originally appeared on Journey�s album of the same name in 1976. �I always liked that track and was waiting for a chance to re-arrange it and record my own version of it.� In addition, Rolie re-images Elvis Presley�s classic �Don�t Be Cruel� as a mid-tempo gospel tune, and his spine-tingling vocal performance would draw a nod of approval from the King. �I used to play it in the same manner for encores with my quartet, and it always went over beautifully, so I decided to end the record with it,� Rolie says. �I�ve got the same group of guys on it � Alan Haynes on guitar, drummer Ron Wikso and bassist Sticky Lopez.� 65279;�I�m pretty fortunate to have such good friends who are also some of the best musicians on earth,� says Rolie. �These songs mean a lot to me, and I�m very proud to be putting them out. To have such amazing players helping me to make them a reality is an amazing thing. The album wouldn�t have turned out so well without them.�
