Recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles, Waite considers Rough & Tumble a new beginning for him. "I approached this project with an entirely different ambition musically than I've had in the past," Waite commented. "It's the first record I've made that I think is made up of singles. All 12 tracks are contenders. They're all alive in their own way. I'm not really sure what the energy is behind the songs, but there is a real kind of velocity in the album where we just picked up speed and kept going. We just wanted to play and win."

A good portion of Rough & Tumble was written and produced in a sweet pocket of creativity enjoyed over the past year and a half with Matchbox Twenty lead guitarist/songwriter Kyle Cook, who Waite met through a mutual friend. "It's pretty much extraordinary," Waite says about the material he created for the new album. "It's not like what people would expect from me. It's a step to the left. There's a rock imprint on the music and a melodic presence, but it's just shifted gears. It's an extreme record. It has an identity and a philosophy of its own, which is really fresh for me."

The Waite/Cook collaboration has proved to be nothing short of phenomenal, as evidenced by songs like "Evil," a thumping rocker-meets-dance-club tour de force; "Better Off Gone," a hook-laced better-off-on-the-open-road anthem; the deep groove-laden "Love's Goin' Out of Style" and the soaring magic ballad and first single, "If You Ever Get Lonely." "I'm not saying it's high art, but genuinely speaking, it's fantastic for me," Waite says, reflecting on his new music. "I certainly am interested in spending the rest of my life doing something creative rather than just living in the past."

On Rough & Tumble, Waite also managed to keep the rougher live rock edge alive and well. The no-holds-barred, riff-ready title track and the driving renditions of "Sweet Rhode Island Red" (a Tina Turner number) and "Mr. Wonderful," a new take on a hidden gem originally included on his debut solo album, Ignition, are set to shake heads during an upcoming US and European tour in 2011.

With Rough & Tumble, many will say "John Waite is back," but the simple fact is he never left.

Rough & Tumble Track Listing
Rough & Tumble
Evil
If You Ever Get Lonely
Skyward
Sweet Rhode Island Red
Mr. Wonderful
Further The Sky
Love's Goin' Out of Style
Better Off Gone
Peace of Mind
Hanging Tree

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