Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
To call upon the supernatural and the spirits that guide us in our dedication to artistic endeavour may feel to some as nothing more than an invitation to devilry, the incantations of witches and occultists; where in truth the Invocation is cast by magicians, by entertainers and not illusionists.
To understand that magic is held by the creative soul and not one who practises deception is to feel the freedom of the soul, to watch it soar, to be at peace with the result of the Blues and the Rock that is brought forth into the world, and in that, in his own powerful truth, Troy Redfern brings forth the spell of tremendous musical wealth in his brand new studio recording, Invocation.
Influence in the right hands can bring forth a type of happiness that cannot be conjured from thin air that the sorcerers and enchanted would have you believe; it is a magic all of its own, it is right of the endowed and not the phony, and in the furnace of cool that Troy Redfern weaves his passion, brings it to the boil, the boldness of his latest creation is to be seen for what it is; a moment of searing beauty and undeniable excellence.
The Blues, the rock, and the glam, these are the elements mixed with sincerity and a healthy dose of reality which refuses to include the unlikely enchanted of sampling or audio fraud and chicanery; for this the album resonates with a stream of truth and confidence, proving Time to be honoured and the scam used by some to be redundant and out of place.
Through tracks such as the resolute opening off The Strange and Getaway, Troy Redfern, the magician truly defends his quarter, an accuracy of delivery is reliable and faithful, and when dynamos and inspirations such as the ominous Van Helsing, The Fever, the hellraising Voodoo Priestess, and the cinematic like ending of The Last Stand all add their own convincing menace to the reveal, the cauldron of intensity is added to the atmospheric promise and never once lets the magician or the listeners in their roles as acolytes down.
A superb addition to the growing majesty of the man wearing the crown and holding the sceptre of the gifted with pride; Invocation is magic weaved.
Troy Redfern releases Invocation on Friday 17th May.
Ian D. Hall