By Megan Routledge.
Invocation is the name of the exhilarating and highly anticipated brand-new 11-track album from slide guitar virtuoso Troy Redfern. The album, released by RED7 Records on Friday 17th May 2024, will be available in limited edition coloured vinyl, black vinyl, plus two different CD artwork designs.
Says Troy, “The Strange is about the realisation that a relationship is falling apart in slow motion. Despite how difficult it may seem to break away, it’s about the sense that life is slipping by is an ever-present feeling.”
“The Strange” explodes with bold, powerful guitars and a slide guitar melody that suggests we’re not in Kansas anymore. This is blues rock, but not as we know it. Troy is known for taking his disparate array of influences and throwing them into his fiery musical furnace to forge something that is both authentic and unique. “The Strange” is no exception! Sure, there are elements of blues, glam, and hard rock but the result is a sound that is unmistakeably his own. Everything recorded is organic. No drum samples or studio trickery, just pure, unadulterated rock ‘n’ roll.
Troy has proved time and time again that his cup of inspiration is not only full, but runneth over, writing and release albums at an unprecedented pace and judging by the strength of “The Strange” and the two previous singles “Getaway” and “The Fever,” the new album Invocation, promises to be his best yet.
Over the course of last two albums The Fire Cosmic (2021) and Wings of Salvation (2022) Troy found his true voice stylistically in terms of writing and playing, but with Invocation he created a collection of outstanding new songs that carves out his own identity as to who he really is as an artist.
Troy headed to the west Wales coast with his trusty 1929 National Triolian resonator guitar for a week of solitude in a remote Shepherd’s hut to sketch the initial song ideas for the new album.
“It was important for me to really clear my mind of all distractions so I could really focus on what I wanted to write on this album and the direction I wanted to take it in.” says Troy.
“I tried some unorthodox approaches to song writing that included meditation where I would imagine hearing a song in my mind, as complete as possible including visualising the performance live. Next, I would pick up the guitar and capture the idea on my phone. That way I wasn’t led by what I would usually do when I pick up the guitar. It was a very freeing, powerful experience, and a discipline that I’ll use again to write more songs in the future.
For the new album, Troy decided that he’d bring back the production team that worked on The Wings of Salvation. Dave Marks was brought back again for production duties, along with Jo Webb for mixing and mastering. Lee Russel’s Dulcitone Studios in Kettering was again the logical choice to record Paul Stewart’s (The Feeling) drum tracks as the converted chapel has the perfect ambience for huge sounding rock drums.
Due to the streamlined process that Troy and producer Dave Marks employed on the previous album, Invocation was written, recorded, and mixed in just under six weeks.
“It really was great to be able to realize and bring to fruition these songs as quickly as we did,” recalls Troy. “It kept the ideas fresh and stopped them from becoming overworked and tired.”
With ‘Invocation’ Troy explores fresh musical territory, from the heavy, bone crushing slide riffs and big sing along choruses on “Van Helsing” and “Getaway” to the evocative, wind-swept western landscapes of “The Native” and “Blind Me.” After three albums in three years Troy continues to expand his musical horizons and keep his creative fire burning.
The opening tune on the record explodes with a soaring slide motif that conjures up elements of 70’s glam, blues but with a unique melodic spin. I wanted to make a bold musical statement with this song. I condensed a lot of ideas that I had for this one down to simple, memorable lines to make it as strong as I could. This song really is a melting pot of a lot of my influences from the past forged into something new.
Taking up the guitar as a teen, Troy quickly absorbed his musical influences of the early blues pioneers and the energy of the 70s and 80s rock icons. The turning point came when he discovered open tunings and slide guitar.
“I immediately felt like I’d come home the moment I put a bottleneck on my finger and started playing slide, it instantly felt completely natural to me. This style of playing helped me find my true voice on the instrument.”
His talents quickly realized, he received endorsements from Ernie Ball Strings, Airline Guitars and even has his own signature glass blown slide made by world renowned slide manufacturer Diamond Bottlenecks whose roster includes the who’s who of slide guitar luminaries including the likes of Mark Knopfler.
Carving out a name for himself by relentlessly touring and blazing a trail across the main stage festival circuits in the UK, Europe, Scandinavia, and Russia, and sharing the stage with the likes of Robert Plant and Dr Feelgood, Troy has worked tirelessly to build a strong following of diehard fans who gravitate towards his passionately honest, fiery performances and visceral guitar playing.
In 2022, Troy released the album The Wings of Salvation and completed four full UK tours garnering an overwhelming response from music critics, reviewers, and fans alike. He has toured with Robert Jon & The Wreck, the Quireboys, The Sweet, and When Rivers Meet. In October the same year, he embarked on a 12-date UK tour supporting DARE.
Leading up to his 23 September 2022, release of his studio album The Wings of Salvation, Troy released three singles and accompanying music videos for “Come On,” “Gasoline,” and “Sweet Carolina,” all of which have attracted heavy radio airplay and have been featured on Joe Bonamassa’s popular Spotify playlists Cutting Edge Blues, Epic Guitar Solos, and Ultimate Blues Rock.
In November 2022, Redfern won Hard Rock Hell’s “Blues Artist of the Year” award.
On Friday December 2nd, 2022, Troy performed at Planet Rockstock. Later in the same month, The Wings of Salvation was featured in Rock and Blues Muse’s Top 25 Albums of 2022.
Troy released a brand-new single entitled “The Fever” on 11 January 2023. The single was added to Planet Rock’s playlist, making this Troy’s fourth single Planet Rock has playlisted, following hot on the heels of “Ghosts,” “Come On,” and “Sweet Carolina.” Troy followed this with a co-headline UK tour with the Canadian roots rockers, the Commoners.
In October 2023, Troy released “Getaway,” the second single taken from his forthcoming album Invocation. This was the fifth single to be added to Planet Rock’s playlist. Troy followed the release of the single by playing various summer festivals including Steelhouse, Maid of Stone, and headlined RAWA Festival in Poland. In November, Troy toured the UK with guitarist Philip Sayce and played Planet Rock Radio’s Planet Rockstock Festival, followed by Planet Rock’s Blues Power “Live” concert at Dingwalls in Camden Town, North London on December 7th.
On January 4, 2024, Troy will release the single “The Strange” taken from his new album Invocation released 17 May 2024.
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