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Music Review: Philip Sayce – ‘Ruby Electric’
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Obi-Dan   |  

Philip Sayce
Ruby Electric
Produced by Dave Cobb and Eddie Kramer
Provogue
Released July 18, 2011 (UK) CD | MP3

Recently blues rock has seen a resurgence in quality in new, young musicians. Far from imitating their parents’ record collection, the devil’s new breed is creating blues rock that is entirely their own. Wah-wahing his way to the front of the pack is Philip Sayce with his debut album Ruby Electric. But unlike blues godfather Robert Johnson, I’m pretty sure Sayce did not consort with His Unholiness to unleash his devilish talent.

Welsh-born, Canadian-raised Sayce is a very talented guitarist with some imaginative solos. His guitar licks are a mixture of Jimmy Page and John Frusciante; lots of choppy blues funk but can pull out a rocking tune like the no-messin’ “Take You Away.” For me the very best of the young blues players is Joe Bonamassa, and Sayce has the serious talent to wail on that fretboard alongside him.

“One Foot In The Grave” is a stunning blues-rock jam and is proof that he can write great classic sounding songs. As well as punchy, boogie infused numbers he has tracks like “Alchemy,” a slower instrumental for those who enjoy blues of a more traditional fashion.

Sayce’s talent for writing and performing is so pronounced, especially on “Alchemy” that it seems an odd sidestep to round the album off with a joint cover of Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl” and the Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).”

The album is a mixture of studio and live performance. Quite why this is necessary is unclear, it kind of feels like they [whoever “˜they’ are; management I guess] wanted to get a record out there that showcased everything that Sayce can do. Which is fine; you want to show the world that Sayce is a great guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and he absolutely is. But to me it feels like a collection of EPs thrown together.

Look, the live tracks are excellent and you can really feel the live energy from his and the band’s performance. It just feels weird to mix live and studio tracks when this would have made a great studio album and separate live album. Throwing them all together, I feel a little short changed. But if the worst I can say about Ruby Electric is that there is not enough, well that’s not cause enough to give me the blues.

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