Following closely on the heels of his recent singles Come On, Gasoline, and Sweet Carolina, the UK slide guitarist, singer-songwriter TROY REDFERN has released the fourth single Mercy from his critically acclaimed album The Wings of Salvation
Mercy begins with a slide riff that sounds like it might have been lifted from an over-loved 45 rpm single that, itself, was rescued from the old-school Wurlitzer in the corner. This number galactically flares into a resonating blaze of vibrating ‘n’ vividly rockswaying satisfactions.
Troy’s ever-granulating, Les Paul fireboarding is bestirred by anguished rhythms from the bassist Dave Marks and drummer Paul Stewart (The Feeling) before the blues-rock guitar genius delivers one of his most explosive and nuanced solos ever. This is a melancholy blues rocker with a theme that revolves around our impulse to confuse bad love with good.
Produced by Dave Marks (Hans Zimmer) at the UK’s Dulcitone Studios, the album that this single is taken from, The Wings of Salvation, is a fascinating new chapter in Redfern’s career, not only as a slide guitarist but also as an influential producer.
A blaze of vibrating ‘n’ vividly rockswaying satisfactions…
Raw Ramp Music Mag
“My goal was to make a record that was a true representation of where I am right now as an artist,” he says. “I wanted to create something in the spirit of the old school classic rock albums that I grew up listening to…’
After releasing an unprecedented six albums in just under two years, Troy’s new album The Wings of Salvation, is his most compelling work to date. The album showcases Redfern’s intensely saw-edged vocal performance, his condensed and urgent songwriting style, his precise arrangements, and of course, his amazing flashover, pyrotechnical style of slide-guitar play —filled with blatant honesty ‘n’ sandpaper distinctness.
“I felt like the time was right to head back into the studio as the creative juices were flowing,” says Redfern, about the new album. “I wanted to approach the recording process by starting with a completely clean slate.”
‘I wrote [it] from scratch in just under five weeks, in the same way that the bands that I grew up listening to use to do. It makes everything fresh and immediate. It’s an accurate snapshot of where you are as an artist at that moment.”
“Dave Marks and I also decided early on we wanted an old school aesthetic for this album, in that we wanted no studio fixes, no autotune, no drum editing or samples…
“ It had to be real, with only complete takes, no chopping up parts in post-production to make them sound perfect. We wanted an album that authentically captured my sound. I feel satisfied in knowing that we achieved what we set out to accomplish, and I couldn’t be prouder of this album.”
“My 1935 Dobro resonator features heavily on the new album along with my Magnatone Twilighter amplifier,” reflects Redfern. “I found this to be a killer combination. It’s such a huge tone without the need for layers and layers of guitar tracks.”
The new single can be streamed, and the new album The Wings of Salvation can be ordered digitally, on CD or limited edition yellow & red splatter vinyl from: https://linktr.ee/TroyRedfern
The album is available on CD and limited edition yellow and red splatter vinyl formats, plus various bundles from the official Troy Redfern shop: https://troyredfern.com/shop
Main photo: © Les Linyard