Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
The Cosmos is on fire, and somewhere on Earth there are those that can hear the heartbeat of the Universe crying out to be noticed, to take heed of the charm and the rhythm provided by the fireworks of inspiration that come when we see stars explode and the heavens show us signs and portents.
The Fire Cosmic, the appreciation that the universe holds more than we can imagine, is the way the artist shows that they have been listening, taking heed of the winds that blow through the strains of creation, and if the fan or the potential recipient of the muse driven music can also be inspired, then the Cosmos has done its work, with majesty, with chaos turned to beauty.
We have barely scratched the surface of our knowledge of all things that burn with life around us, let alone in the stars, and yet as Troy Redfern shows with panache in his latest release, The Fire Cosmic, the storm comes from within, for after all the great Joni Mitchell told us so at Woodstock, and nothing in that enlightenment has altered, nothing has changed, except for the means of conveying the message and the herald’s call.
The Fire Cosmic is not just a classic rock album that captures the raw energy of life and the greatness of the slide guitar, it is a recording that gives is hope of continual performance in 2021. In a period of time for which we have taken it upon ourselves to survive at all costs, Troy Redfern, along with the exemplary music of Ron Thal, Darby Todd and Dave Marks, has dug deeper into the Pandora’s Box we opened, and found beyond hope, the often mislabelled and misunderstood emotion of courageous fury, the passion for creation; and it is one that Mr. Redfern holds aloft with a smile.
Tracks such as the seismic opener Scorpio, the superb One Way Ticket, Lay That Love Down, Ghosts, Sanctify, and Saving Grace all play their part in this universal rapture, the sound of the destructive infernos being urged to continue as if instructed by a magic touch, by a human being with a vision.
The Fire Cosmic is without doubt one of the albums of the year, erudite, passionate, insistent, full of flame and unquenchable rage, yet one that doesn’t leave a scar on the skin, instead slowly has the listener believing they should heed the words of the Cosmos with more care and attention.
Troy Redfern releases The Fire Cosmic on August 6th.
Ian D. Hall