Review: Troy Redfern 'The Fire Cosmic'

Troy Redfern

By Mike O’Cull

Britain’s reigning king of slide guitar, singer-songwriter Troy Redfern, kicks out some impressive jams on his brand new record The Fire Cosmic. Poised to drop August 6, 2021 on RED7 Records, the set was recorded at the famous Rockﬁeld Studios in North Wales where rock gods Queen made their magic, as well as Black Sabbath and Mott The Hoople. Redfern enlisted veteran producer Paul ‘Win’ Winstanley to enter this historic environment with him and his absolutely smoking band made up of Darby Todd on drums (The Darkness, Robben Ford, Martin Barre, Paul Gilbert), virtuoso bass guitarist Dave Marks (Hans Zimmer), and guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal (Guns ‘N Roses, Asia, Sons of Apollo). Mastering was handled by Frank Arkwright (Biﬀy Clyro, Oasis, Iggy Pop, Paul Weller, System of a Down) at Abbey Road Studios, which drives Redfern’s vibe factor even higher. The result of all of this is a hard-charging set of new music that’ll blow the speakers out of your headphones.

Troy Redfern has spent the last few years making his bones on the European festival circuit, in Scandinavia, Russia, and his native U.K.. He has played with Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and built an audience of rabid fans who can’t get enough of his fired-up style of slide guitar and tough-toned vocals. Redfern is an amazingly prolific artist who put out five new albums in 2020 alone that impressed both critics and listeners. He’s a natural slide player who truly found himself when he first discovered open tunings and the bottleneck. What makes him unique is his willingness to cross genre lines and remind us that slide work doesn’t always have to sound like Elmore or Duane.

Redfern blasts the album open with the surf/rockabilly burner “Scorpio.” He and the band attack the track with pure rock energy and a tequila-and-mescaline attitude that will bring the desert into your listening room. Hard, chromatic riffs surrounding a big chorus are the order of the day and Redfern and Thal are one heck of a guitar team. If you’re not on the hook by the end of this one, you just don’t like rock and roll.

“Waiting For Your Love” is a stomping, anti-hero boogie with a sharp edge and a huge pocket. Redfern rips through it on his vintage 1929 National Triolian resonator guitar, an incredible-sounding instrument that cuts through the mix like a hot sword through butter. His tone and performance are gripping, otherworldly, and they demand to be heard. This one is also the first single released from The Fire Cosmic and it’s easy to hear why. It’s thoroughly modern but driven by the spirit of the Old Masters in a perfectly balanced way.

“Love And War” is a funky, mid-tempo blues/rocker built on a hip-shaking Purdie Shuﬄe drum groove from Darby Todd that opens up into an epic chorus. The feel and snap of the track will take over your mind and Thal’s guitar solo will take you to school. He’s smoother and more inventive than most and turns in a fine showing here. “Ghosts” is another body-mover, this time sitting on a simmering train beat that provides this spacious cut everything it needs to rise to greatness. Redfern makes his slide scream with passion and abandon like the legend he’s destined to become. He has a way of injecting slide playing into more contemporary arrangements like few others, which pumps new life into one of the oldest guitar styles out there. Other crucial tracks are “Saving Grace” and “Sanctify.” Troy Redfern is one of this year’s prime movers and his star is most definitely on the rise. Get yourself dialed into The Fire Cosmic and see what all the excitement is about.

Watch “ Ghosts”