What to Expect From Boz Scaggs’ Upcoming Album ‘Detour’

Boz Scaggs will release a new album, his first in seven years, on Oct. 17.

Detour follows the Grammy-nominated Out of the Blues, and, like that album and its immediate predecessors, will feature songs from the past, with a focus on personal jazz favorites and music from the Great American Songbook.

You can hear the first advanced track from the album, a reworking of “I’ll Be Gone” from his self-titled 1969 LP, below.

Listen to Boz Scaggs’ ‘I’ll Be Gone’

“If I look at myself as a musician over the years, I’d have to consider my primary instrument to be my voice,” Scaggs said in a press release announcing the album.

“Early on, I was really influenced by rock ‘n’ roll guys like Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley, and R&B and soul singers like Marvin Gaye and Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland, but there was something about jazz and standards that always fascinated me.”

What’s on Boz Scaggs’ First Album in Seven Years?

The seeds for Detour were planted when Scaggs and pianist Seth Asarnow began casually recording standards together as demos.

Soon, the project took shape as bassist Hans Trowsea, drummer Jason Lewis, multi-instrumentalist Jim Cox, violin and viola player Jeremy Cohen, and guitarists Michael Miller and Ashra Weston joined the sessions.

“I had no intention of making a record when I started singing these songs,” Scaggs noted. “It was all very casual at first, just an opportunity to explore a style of music I’ve always liked, to get together with a friend and play for the sheer joy of it.”

You can see the track listing for Scaggs’ Detour below.

Boz Scaggs, ‘Detour’ Track Listing
1. It’s Raining
2. Angel Eyes
3. Once I Loved
4. The Very Thought of You
5. I’ll Be Long Gone
6. Detour Ahead
7. I Could Have Told You
8. The Meaning of the Blues
9. Tomorrow Night
10. Too Late Now
11. We’ll Be Together Again