While, to my parents inordinate distress, as I have got older my taste has not radically altered, I have discovered an increasing leaning towards more classical rock and blues music. Don’t get me wrong – I still love all forms of metal, but as I have grown and delved into Led Zeppelin and Sabbath and the first wave of heavy rock bands my horizons have expanded to include an appreciation of well-played, gritty blues. Happily, the disc I received today, Philip Sayce’s new album ‘innerevolution’ contains exactly that – soulful vocals, overdriven and excellently played guitar and a tighter-than-hell rhythm section that provide the perfect backdrop for Philip’s exertions upon the fret board.
First track ‘changes’ is the perfect opener to the album – a storming number that is part blues, part classic rock referencing everything from the sunniest gospel music (in the layered vocals of the chorus) to Chickenfoot’s recent take on hard-rockin’ classic rock. Philip has a remarkable voice for this sort of thing – soulful but with enough grit to give the songs bite while the lyrics are satisfyingly oblique. However, while we may praise his voice, it is his guitar playing that shines through. As capable of playing heavy funk (as he does on the Red hot chilli peppers esque ‘scars’) as he is of tearing through a blistering lead run on ‘changes’, he is a talented and versatile guitarist who shines brightly in the shadow cast by the likes of Clapton and Hendrix. Where Philip delivers is his careful mixing of influences that never sees him sounding out of his depth. ‘Scars’ for example adds a touch of Audioslave to the RHCP’s funk styling to create a heavy work-out that will get heads nodding while ‘bitter Monday’ rather implausibly mixes a David Bowie glam stomp with Marilyn Manson’s ‘mechanical animals’ to great effect. Essentially it is classic music intermingled with contemporary acts and given the benefit of an excellent production which is both crystal clear and yet gritty at the same time. As a result the music has both gloss and depth as well as a raw edge that brings the whole band (Philip is backed up by the talented Ryan Macmillan, Joel Gottschalk and Fred Mandel) into your sitting room in perfect detail. Following a breathtaking solo on ‘bitter Monday’, ‘anymore’ is a mid-paced, soulful number that would fit on a Maroon 5 album if any of those goons had ever learned to play or if David Gilmour had lent his guitar skills and it has an irritatingly catchy chorus that sticks to your brain like chewing gum to a heavy pile carpet and is twice as difficult to remove.
For anyone who needs evidence of Phil Sayce’s hard rocking credentials, the monumental riff of ‘take you away’ provides it in spades. An organ-laced, vocally challenging performance with a massive central riff and solos-a-plenty it’s a strong highlight for an already strong album. Slightly less impressive is the Elton John-style ballad which immediately follows it. It’s not that ‘daydream tonight’ is bad per se, it’s just not my cup of tea and many readers here may find it rather soft for their tastes. Nonetheless you can’t deny it’s skilfully done. Happily the heavy wah abuse of ‘my pearl’ get things back on hard-rockin’, soulful track and the gloriously heavy opening riff gives way to a Lenny Kravitz-at-his-best style verse which incorporates all manner of influences into an excellent whole that will undoubtedly be a highlight live. Better yet is the blues stomp of ‘Tennessee girl’ which is easily one of my favourite tracks on the album thanks to a biting vocal set to a darkly distorted blues riff which sounds absolutely as heavy as hell, especially thanks to the strong percussion courtesy of Kenny Aronoff who propels the guitars along at a decent pace before a solo which can only truly be described as sublime kicks in. ‘Are you ready’ eschews the heavy rock the title suggests for a mid-paced, radio-friendly track that veers between the smooth, harmonised verse and a chorus that harks back to the alternative rock of the mid-nineties without sounding derivative. ‘Gimme some more’ opens with a barrage of drums before the guitars fly at you like a hurricane. It’s the sort of track that will send a live crowd into orbit and on the record it gets the adrenalin flowing one last time before the excellent ‘Little miss America’ subverts the legendary ‘vodoo chile’’ riff for a final blast through the blues, closing the disc in fine style, especially when it turns into what sounds like Pink Floyd’s ‘echoes’ at the tumultuous close.
Philip Sayce is clearly a great talent whose live shows in the UK will be a must-see. This, his second record, oozes the confidence of a guitar player and songwriter who’s utterly in control of his art and more than capable of realising any musical landscape that springs to mind. It’s an inspirational, intelligent, frequently exciting album filled with memorable riffs and even more memorable choruses that will stay with you long after the record has finished pumping (loudly, if there’s any justice) from your stereo. If you like classic rock, Blues, soul or if you just admire talent then this is the record for you. First rate.
