Troy Redfern gained a reputation for dirty shimmering slide guitar-led blues rock with more than a touch of heavy glam rock and his new album, Invocation, shows no signs of this dissipating. However, on opening number ’The Strange’, his previously-favoured T. Rex nuances with Slade-driven rhythms, now offers add the sneering embittered vocals favour of Silverhead or perhaps their current counterparts The Struts, with some distorted garage psychedelic guitar sonics on the side. “It’s about the sense that life is slipping by is an ever-present feeling,” according to the man himself, whereas ‘Getaway’ that follows is quite obviously about escaping that very here-and-now – It’s a retro rocked-up Eddie Cochran with added blues boogie number that Joan Jett ought to give a listen to.
Dave Marks is back production Redfern, also taking on bass, keyboards and percussion duties, with Paul Stewart of The Feeling playing drums “It really was great to be able to realise and bring to fruition these songs as quickly as we did,” said Redfern. “It kept the ideas fresh and stopped them from becoming overworked and tired.” Thus far though, we’ve been missing the guitarist’s penchant for a more narrative flowing tune, only for ‘Van Helsing’ to appear. “This is one of my favourite tracks from the new album Invocation,” said Redfern. “It’s dark and heavy from the outset, musically reflecting themes of these times of uncertainty. The dystopian verse narrative is juxtaposed by an uplifting chorus that comments on the fact that were all looking for our own ray of light in this life to get us through. No matter how bad things can seem, there’s always something worth fighting or living for.” Musically, it moves from a Latin textured rock barrage to street punk verses and a near enough Alice Cooper whiney-chorus shout-out, with an almost orchestral undertow in there until you realise it’s shimmering waves of guitar.
Sounding as if we’re getting further into the mystical, is the slow and resonating ‘The Calling’, albeit it’s about escaping technology. Released as a single last year, just as Redfern was heading out on tour as support to fellow blues axeman Philip Sayce, and thus suitably features a more fulsome display of the man’s guitar abilities, slide loud and powerful, with histrionic sonics set to stun. Similarly, non-rushed, with tribal beats pounding throughout, ‘Native’ brings in Redfern’s penchant for both western themes and for more comic book-come-sci-fi tropes with its post-apocalyptic scenario – I was particularly fond of the evocative chord run around the three minute mark wherein a brief but ear-worthy solo commences that increasingly slips in flamenco touches.
More straight forward four-to-the-floor blues rock, hammers down with ‘The Fever’ in a Bolan/Cooper fronting Foghat scenario, where this time round it’s two minutes in that the wall-of-sound guitars begin to strike home. Ever heard a song going by the handle ‘All Night Long’ that needs explaining? No, didn’t think so. Ironically, most work, as does this fast-pitched rock ‘n roller. Slow blues, crawling into country, is ‘Blind Me’ about the dark side of love, it’s kind of harrowing, a little Captain Beefheart in places, and one that may take some getting used to for fans.
On safer ground we get the all-fists pumping boogie ‘Voodoo Priestess that doesn’t short change you, delivering a heavy thump and wallop of guitar barrage, some psychobilly slide and evocative singalong lyrics to shout, sneer and whisper conspiratorially along to and it segues nicely into the push and pull, call and response muscular riffed dance-funked blues of ‘Take Me High’ that also feels close enough in theme to the previous number for you never to play one without the other, and reaching a nice climax in and of itself.
Ending with ‘The Last Stand’ another song that moves slowly but very purposefully, like the end of some gangster movie where the slightly-more-honourable sides gathers its force for one last justifiable showdown. Redfern spits out enigmatic lines with all seriousness over a seismic-tempered hypno-beating heavy pulse. It bears comparison to the late John Martyn’s ‘John Wayne’; testifying where Troy Redfern stands today, musically uncompromised.
Possibly not as immediate as his more recent albums, there are enough torch-bearing tracks on Invocation to flame the desires of Troy Redfern’s fans. What one might loosely term more experimental material they’re likely in time to find just as rewarding. Heading out on a headline tour this month, they’ll no doubt get a chance to hear how some of those songs may have evolved since being recorded.
- Review by Paul H Birch.
- Invocation is released via RED7 Records and is available here.
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Track List:
- The Strange
- Getaway
- Van Helsing
- The Calling
- Native
- The Fever
- All Night Long
- Blind Me
- Voodoo Priestess
- Take Me High
- The Last Stand
