A major talent seemed to have vanished into thin air. It's been a long time since we heard from him. There were times when we even considered issuing search-warrants. Wanted: Erwin Nyhoff, ex-Prodigal Sons, singer/guitarist, songwriter, long-haired. But suddenly he was there again, now working as a solo-artist. Take Your Time marks the re-launching of Erwin's musical career.

With The Prodigal Sons they went off with a flying start. The single You Still Think off of the band's first album Wine Of Life (1993) put the guitar-rockband right into the lime-light. 'That single helped us a lot. It was then that we discovered the power of the media. We had been gigging for years in bars and many other not-too-hot-spots but after this single got quite some airplay and after we had done only but a few TV-appearances we were invited to do really cool shows in front of a lot of people.

'Before the year was over the band played Pinkpop - Holland's oldest and most prestigious outdoor festival - and the next year they were invited to do a showcase at the Austin, Texas, South By South West-festival (SXSW). These and other challenging gigs were really beneficial for the band's musical development. The second album In the Eye of a Stranger bears evidence of this development. Unfortunately, all of a sudden this boys' dream came to an end. After some half-hearted attempts to put the band back on the tracks the band couldn't live up to their expectations anymore. All this resulted in a final split just after their second SXSW-appearance in 1997.

Then Erwin went underground and restricted himself to some odd unplugged gigs with friend. 'I simply got fed up with the whole business and all its hassles,' he explains in retrospect. 'I had the feeling I was out there all alone. I had never really been into the business-side of music and I was made to pay for that. Take Your Time, the title-track of the new album, is about that period. I was a songwriter and a performer, not a businessman. But whatever happens, I won't let that get me down again this time.

'Now that he was at it, he felt it was about time to go back to his very roots. 'I wanted to know who I really was, both personally and musically,' he comments on these dark days, ' and after a while the songs started coming back to me. One of the first songs that I came up with was Song For You (also on the new album).' From that moment on he began collecting songs again. He didn't know if there was ever going to be a new album but he wanted to be ready for it if he would get the opportunity. Meanwhile he made some wonderful contributions to tribute albums for Dutch rock-icons Boudewijn de Groot and Doe Maar. Another highlight of this period was a live-gig with Elvis' original drummer and guitarist, DJ Fontana and Scotty Moore.

The way in which he got a new record-deal with Warner Music Benelux can go straight into the boor of Rock&Roll fairy tales. 'Two years ago I was doing a live radio-show. I did some songs all by myself and I did some interviews in which I invited fellow-musicians to help me form a band. There was a really nice guy around the studio who got me a chair and who gave me my drinks. I thought he was one of the staff but in fact he was the A&R-man of Warner. We clicked!

'After we made a record-deal we had a true quest for the right producer. One name that featured all our shortlists was Richard Dodd, a British engineer/producer who mainly works in Nashville where he 'did', a.o., Tom Petty and The Travellin' Willburys. 'That takes us back to the same radio-show I told you about before,' says Nyhoff. 'A friend of mine had given me a Steve Earle tape with a couple of songs off the album I Feel Alright. I liked the way in which these songs had been produced: transparent and vocal-orientated. And guess who had been the producer ... Moreover, Steve Earle appeared in that same radio show. I got a CD copy of I Feel Alright and then I knew for sure: It had to be Richard Dodd. The fact that Richard was an Englishman came as a total surprise to me. One would have expected an American. For me this was the perfect combination because I am influenced by both American and English (esp. Sixties) music.

'The Making Of' Take Your Time turned out to be a real Herculean job. During the first recording period I got laryngitis and the doctor told me to refrain from singing. That was a major disappointment. I had always dreamt of going to America to record there and the moment this dream came true I had to quit. The days before I left I had been working way to hard to get all the songs right. Afterwards I'm glad I did this, though, because these days brought me and André Groote (my co-writer) the energy-rocker Gettin' Higher, a song we really couldn't do without on the album.

'Take Your Time features a great number of truly great musicians such as Greg Morrow (drums), Gary Burnette (guitar), Pat Sansone (bass/keyboards) and Wes Cunningham (one of the most remarkable backing vocalists). On this album Erwin also 'experimented with himself'. 'Just let it happen. These people are top of the bill and they really know what they are doing. You don't have to control it all yourself,' I said to myself. 'In the old days I wanted my say in everything, especially the guitars. I played both rhythm and solo. Now I merely played guitar on guide tracks. I did play along on the actual recording - if only to get the vibe right - but a lot of what I did hasn't survived the mix. It's almost like the way in which Elvis used to record. I must say it was quite a relieve not having to be the big boss man this time.

All in all Nyhoff spent some two months in Nashville in three different recording-studios. Apart from work if also felt as a fun-trip through Rock&Roll-history: 'We did some work in Omnisound, what used to be the RCA Victor-studio. Jim Reeves recorded there and Elvis, of course: Heartbreak Hotel and Fool Such As I. Unfortunately I only found out about that long after I had returned home.

' There is much to Nyhoff's music. The irresistable singalong ballad For The First Time is a strong mix of fifty years of pop-music, containing elements of rock, country and gospel. There is a ring of the Moody Blues' classic Nights in White Satin in the beautiful diptych Eternity/Cosmic Ocean - an almost mythical epic. The choir in Over The Horizon betrays a thorough knowledge of musical history. These almost spiritual songs stand out against the rootsy rocksongs that form the main body of the album. The first single to be taken from Take Your Time will be Don't Change, a truly catchy tune.

Nyhoff is dedicated to be back. Over the past years he just wanted to get out of the fast lane and Take Your Time is a perfect reflection of this period. But now he is ready to kick ass again. 'I'm really looking forward to doing endless and seemingly non-ending gigs again. Doing rock&roll gigs with the band at full blast pushing you to the limits for an hour or two, that's life!!'

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