PHIL BROWN - Cruel Inventions

In a revised new format for tracklisting and a little refining on the music here and there, this is the album that turned me on to guitar maestro and definitive singer/writer Phil Brown. A pal in California – one Dan Quinnan – sent me some tracks noting that this guy had a gruff voice and arcane guitar style and would I like to hear ‘the competition’ ?! Well, I wish I was this talented …the word ’stylist’ was invented for this cat. What he DOESN’T do is fill every goddamn space with look-at-me runs or shouting – rather, he lets the atmosphere build up with subtle flicks and bursts of notes that leap out of the rhythms (some times intensely funky) and float off. Influenced, naturellement, by our Jeff Beck, Phil Brown has a dark brown voice that bases its impact on breathy insinuation and is as conspiratorial as his axework is fiery. Women love this stuff and you can’t say that for the flash-harry Vais and Malmsteens – it is sound seduction, plain and simple.

Whatever the song or tune, Brown’s approach does justice to the mood. His ‘La-lah-Land’ is at once intensely regretful yet knowing and almost optimistic. Hey, I screwed up back there, he seems to say, whilst planting an unforgettable melody in your cranium. The gorgeous ‘Heaven’ is as powerful a love song as you will ever find but the psych-tinged guitar runs set it apart. A paean needn’t be corny if you’re spiritually above that.

The bluesrock feel of ‘Grind Me’ and ‘Hour To Kill’ will satisfy the guitar freaks and have others tapping their toes. ‘Diva’ has an ethereal link with ‘Are You Experienced’ and again a memorable tune, all sorts of sounds jumping into the delivery.

The Philip Marlowe-soaked ‘Cruel Inventions’ is intriguing, to say the least….

Right now, Phil is playing with a band that includes soulful Storyville singer Malford Milligan and bass god Mark Andes AND drummer Pat Mastoletto and the live cuts he has sent me are awesome – this aggregation is called MPtu, so watch this space

Pete Sargeant