The process of evolution for guitarist Philip Sayce has been fascinating to observe. From the relatively polite ‘innerevolution’, an album which demonstrated a stunning prowess on the guitar but a rather hesitant approach to music making in the studio (in comparison to his scorching live work at any rate), via the excellent (and partially live) ‘Ruby Electric’ which showcased his smoking cover of Neil Young’s ‘Cinnamon girl’, Philip has become a force to be reckoned with both live and on record. Where, however, his previous studio efforts merely cooked, the new album, ‘influence’, is a blazing inferno of red hot blues riffs, gritty vocals and powerful songs. It is, in short, the pinnacle of Philip’s career to date and surely one of the best blues albums you’ll hear all year.
Opening with a cover of ‘Tom Devil’ (originally by Ed Lewis and the Prisoners and familiar to those who enjoyed the excellent Coen brothers’ movie ‘O Brother where art thou?’), Philip and his band tear into the song relocating the swampy delta blues of the original to Black Sabbath’s rehearsal rooms, Philip’s guitar so heavily mired in distortion it sounds like it’s being filtered through a wall of Orange amplifiers ten miles high. It’s an opening that marries Cream’s elemental heaviness with the fire trail of Hendrix’s guitar work and it has you instantly hooked. ‘Out of my mind’ retains the heaviness but offers a lighter touch and a faster pace that sits somewhere between the Kinks, Cream and Gary Clark Jr, Philip’s vocals delivered with depth and power as the guitars burn and smoke behind him. The first sign of tempering the pace arrives with the breezy ‘sailin’ shoes’ (originally by Little Feat), a funky, rather fun piece that is then smashed to pieces by the relentless assault that is ‘I’m going home’ (a cover of the old 1967 Sonics song), that sees Chris Powell unleashing hell around his drum kit and David Cobb (who produced the album with his customary flair and skill) attacking his bass as if his life depends upon it. This stands in stark contrast to the beautiful, elegant ‘fade into you’ which sees Philip look at his experiences within the music industry and turn the emotion into an amazing song that resonates with a cornucopia of emotions. The guitar work, as you might expect, is sublime, but what makes the song is the very real feelings that lie at its core.
Written by Don Covay and Joe Richardson, ‘blues ain’t nothing but a good woman on your mind’ has one hell of a swing to it, reminiscent of the Blues Brothers at their show boating best, before Philip and his band take on the master – Little Richard – for a smoking rendition of ‘green power’, a song that has a glorious, bass-led groove underpinning the salacious, wah-inflected guitar work and soulful vocals which are perfectly augmented by Kristen Rogers who provides backing vocals and a touch of class. Graham Nash’s ‘better days’ is similarly treated with healthy respect, although Philip uses the song’s glorious outro to pay tribute to his heroes Stevie Ray Vaughan and Hendrix in a guitar-lovers wet dream of a climax. Another original is up next with ‘easy on the eyes’ (once again co-written by the astonishingly talented Dave Cobb) and the sound is one part Rival Sons, one part Lenny Kravitz with the song offering up the sort of open-topped, car-trip-across-America vibe that makes you instantly want to take to the highway. ‘Evil woman’ tips its hat to Dave’s other charges, the amazing Glenn Hughes project California Breed, with its rich harmonies and super-charged guitar work set to make air-guitarists out of even the most staid listener. Indeed, if, by the time you reach this song, you are not firmly convinced of Philip Sayce’s place amongst the guitar playing greats then you need to return the CD and pick up a copy of Robbie Williams’ greatest hits because for you, my friend, all hope is lost. ‘Triumph’, with its barrage of rolling percussion and psychedelic opening, turns out to be a slow burning blues instrumental with hints of David Gilmour’s languid style in Philip’s fret-work. It stands out as a highlight because it showcases another side to Philip’s playing highlighting the fact that his technique is as much about the spaces between the notes he plays as it is about immersing the listener in an inferno of blazing riffs and white-hot soloing. ‘Light ‘em up’ (the last of a run of four original tracks) is a slab of tough blues that would not sound out of place on ‘are you experienced’ with its gang vocals on the chorus and unfeasibly powerful riffs and then ‘peace in the valley’ draws the album to a breathless close, Philip treating it like an encore, extending the instrumental section to Herculean proportions, his instrumental work a thing of brazen beauty. It’s one of those songs that drifts dreamily along, all Hammond organ stabs and subdued vocals, only to really come alive as the guitar takes the lead and tears through the crescendo like a series of bright fireworks bursting in a darkened sky, and it brings this album of apocalyptic blues to a suitably raucous close.
Philip Sayce has long been a SonicAbuse favourite, but here he has stepped so far beyond the power of his previous works it is as if he is an artist reborn. The power here is remarkable, almost metallic in its ferocity in places and yet tempered by remarkable restraint and elegant works of great beauty like ‘fade into you’ and ‘better days’. Whilst ‘influence’ may be a tribute to great artists, it also the point at which Philip Sayce steps out and claims his place right next to them, his guitar and vocal work nothing short of exquisite throughout. This is a bold, exciting collection that is beautifully played and perfectly recorded by the redoubtable Dave Cobb who is a master at capturing the raw intensity of rock ‘n’ roll bands possessed of both guts and spirit. Philip Sayce is an artist whose stature has been continually on the rise, and deservedly so, but there is no question that ‘influence’ is the guitarist’s finest, most explosive work to date.
