Torsten Goods is one of Germany’s most successful jazz guitarists and jazz-pop/soul singers.
The prodigious skills displayed at an early age by the German/Irish musician (German father/Northern Irish mother) resulted in a scholarship to study jazz guitar in New York while still in his teens, subsequent to which he won several awards domestically for a series of albums released on the ACT label.
In the UK, he was once reviewed by the Evening Standard as having “talent galore. Inspired by George Benson, he sings winningly and plays the guitar superbly”, while he has recently been residing on the Jazz FM playlist with songs from ‘Soul Searching’, his wonderful and very personal new creation.
Eight long years of soul searching have culminated in what is Goods’ seventh full-length record, but also an album that can be seen as a new beginning. Although containing feel-good music influenced by Jazz, Soul, Blues and ‘70s Westcoast/AOR – not to mention a number of star turns by feel-good guest musicians/friends – lyrically it tells the story of his recent visual transformation brought about by the autoimmune disorder Alopecia areata. Although the now 42 year-old Goods is otherwise healthy, the disease has been a source of immense emotional stress; becoming accustomed to his hairless appearance is a central theme of the album, as evidenced by songs such as ’Naked Funk’ and ‘I Had To Learn Not To Care’.
The album is out digitally now, with Goods explaining that its title song “is about my journey over these last few years, living through the Alopecia and the years after, where I pulled back and went searching for my new persona.”
Going into further detail in the album liner notes, he reveals that “I almost lost my mind, when I lost my hair. Sounds like a line from an old Blues song, but in my case it is the, well, naked truth. Imagine waking up one day and not only being bald, but even more so: completely hairless. The medical term is ‘Alopecia areata universalis’, and I‘m healthy and feeling fine otherwise. It took me many years to be able to say this, to get back on my feet, to start going out again, seeing friends, being sociable and comfortable doing what I love: making music with my friends, on stage, in front of an audience. These intense and inspirational times of soul searching, of quite a few false starts and many new beginnings, have led to this album. It is by far my most personal artistic statement.
He continues: For the first time ever I had a hand in writing most of the songs – and the two cover songs are deeply personal choices, too. The music shows my love and appreciation for Soul, Jazz, R&B and the 70s sound of the American West Coast – the harmonies welcome you, the melodies sing to you and the rhythm moves you in all possible ways. I am grateful for the many friends and my family, of course, who helped me make this album what it is, in the studio and on quite a few stages, in long conversations and through intimate and emotional revelations. Thanks to them, I feel understood and loved – I hope you do, too, when you listen to my music.”
SOUL SEARCHING
TRACKLISTING
1 Ain’t Gotta Do It
2 Spinning Round (feat. Viktoria Tolstoy)
3 Who’s Right Who’s Wrong
4 I Had To Learn Not To Care
5 Moonlight (feat. Seven)
6 Turn The Lights Down Low (feat. Kim Sanders)
7 Carnaval De La Gente (feat. Bireli Lagrene)
8 Soul Searching (feat. Nils Landgren)
9 Walk Away (feat. Randy Brecker)
10 Naked Funk
11 Keep On Running (feat. Pete York)
12 Wade Groove
13 I’ll Do It Anyway (feat. Ida Sand)
14 Paradox Jam (feat. Magnus Lindgren)
Goods will begin his ‘Soul Searching Tour 2023’ later this month, on which he will be performing with his long-term band: Jan Miserre (keyboards and piano), Felix Lehrmann (drums) and Thomas Stieger (bass). The schedule will include UK and Irish shows in November.