KING'S X Guitarist Prepares To Release Third Solo Album

KING'S X guitarist Ty Tabor will release his third solo album, "Rock Garden", through Inside Out Music on August 29.

As part of the Texan power trio KING'S X, singer/guitarist Ty Tabor has enjoyed a career that has reeled in both critical and consumer praise for the better part of three decades. A part of VH1 Top 100 Artists in hard rock and name-dropped by fellow musicians thanks to his innovative guitar playing and gorgeous vocal melodies, Tabor's musical output is seemingly endless, as he gears up to release his third solo outing, "Rock Garden".

A change in direction from 2002's "Safety", "Rock Garden" features a more optimistic outlook than the melancholic atmosphere of its predecessor. "'Safety' grew out of the worries and anguish that I lived through at the time," Tabor explains. "With 'Rock Garden', I survived this phase and now I'm ready to rock again."

A fitting title indeed, as Tabor creates a lively and colorful setting for his driving, hard rock songs that were coincidentally, inspired by his surroundings in Houston.

"The album is named after my backyard," says Tabor. "A tropical little paradise where I — as once was the case with George Harrison at his home — have diligently planted and worked for many years. Here, I sometimes sit with friends and we just play guitar out in the open nature."

With friends like Doug Pinnick of KING'S X and Wally Farkas of the GALACTIC COWBOYS lending their collective vocal talents, along with Randy St. John on drums, "Rock Garden" was performed almost exclusively by Tabor, allowing for his imitable songwriting and performance stamp to be heard on standout tracks like "Pretty Good" and "Afraid". For Tabor, the songwriting process proved to be a tougher job than he originally surmised.

"The songs on this album evolved and changed constantly during the recording," Tabor says. "I wanted to be happy with every song no matter what it took. Because of that, nothing was left open to my laziness or routine. With constant requests for changes, I became a real pain in the neck for Randy. But even if it took ten years, I wasn't going to accept anything less than being happy with the entire project."

Still riding high after KING'S X's critically acclaimed "Ogre Tones" album, Tabor hopes to spread the positive message behind "Rock Garden" across the globe. A stellar collection of BEATLES-esque compositions and vocal brilliance, Tabor feels as though he's finally created an album he's 100% satisfied with. "I'm happy with it," he says. "That was the goal, and the atmosphere that we had for making this record was so positive — it was a great environment to work in and that made us want to rock!"

A video has been filmed for the first single, "Beautiful Sky", shot, directed and edited by Ty himself.