Lari Basilio has announced that work has begun on her next studio album, confirming that recording has commenced at the United Recording Studio in Hollywood, California.
And, having recruited a number of A-list session legends in the likes of Vinnie Colaiuta, Nathan East and Greg Phillinganes for her previous studio album, it turns out Basilio has wasted no time in assembling an equally formidable instrumental lineup for the follow-up.
Thanks to a slew of social media posts and an in-depth studio tour from Lee Sklar himself, it has been revealed that the bass guitar session legend is set to join Basilio’s band for the highly anticipated offering.
Sklar, whose prolific star-studded resume includes sessions with Jackson Browne, Carole King, Phil Collins, James Taylor, David Bowie, Toto, Billy Cobham and many more, confirmed his guest spot in a video posted to his YouTube channel.
“I am excited to be working with you!” enthused Sklar after bumping into Basilio during a virtual studio tour, who then replied, “I’m so honored to have you, you’re amazing. It’s a real honor.”
The video also gave us a close-up look of the live room in which the group were recording, and granted a glimpse of Basilio’s awe-inspiring rig, complete with a guitar stand stacked with multiple Ibanez LB1 models.
In a separate post, Sklar confirmed a handful of other session players who will crop up on the album, with Colaiuta making a return to Basilio’s band. Keys player Ester Na has also been brought into the fold for the album.
“In the studio today with Lari Basilio,” he wrote. “She is a fabulous guitarist. Got 5 tracks.”
The as-yet-unannounced effort will be Basilio’s first studio full-length album since her 2019 sophomore record Far More, which in turn followed her 2015 debut, The Sound of My Room.
It is also set to be Basilio's first record since the release of her signature Ibanez LB1 guitar – an ash-bodied, Violet-finished, T-type six-string loaded with Seymour Duncan Lari Basilio alnico pickups.
While we’ve been treated to a studio-recorded demonstration of the axe’s soaring sonic capabilities in the form of the recently released single Sunny Days, an entire record's worth of Basilio going to town on her Ibanez is certainly something worth getting exciting for.
All in all, it’s shaping up to be a very nice album indeed…
