Ray Russell - Dangerous Bends Ray Russell

The first thing you’re likely to notice when you hear Ray Russell’s Dangerous Bends is his sound. With his guitar, he flies at heights only attempted by David Gilmour’s soaring melodies, navigating musical twists and turns with the nuanced filigree of Jeff Beck and the angular fluidity of Allan Holdsworth. No surprise though: This is no list of heroes - these are Russell’s peers. And while his name might not have reached the same kind of household status as that trio of legends, his guitar playing has.

That’s a teenage Russell you’ve heard on vintage James Bond soundtracks, recorded back when he was a member of the John Barry Seven. His presence accompanying the silver screen spans his career - you can even hear him on the soundtrack to the modern comedy classic Anchorman - but his list of first-call studio credits may still supersede that work. To only briefly touch on his credits feels like an impossible task, with names like Tina Turner, Heaven 17, Phil Collins and David Bowie vying for mention.

Additionally, Russell created some of the early '70s' most outrageously outside music, releasing hallmark works of guitar shock-and-awe. Russell's "stabbing, singing notes and psychotic runs up the fretboard have nothing to do with scalular architecture," wrote All Music's Thom Jurek, "but rather with viscera and tonal exploration." His albums have captured the finest of taste-making experimental cognoscenti, such as Jim O’Rourke, who has famously praised Russell and overseen archival releases. On Dangerous Bends, he continues to forge ahead, his ever-evolving Strat sound on full display, making a case that though he’s a player who quite literally has done it all, there’s still more to discover.

Dangerous Bends isn’t just a welcomed new entry into a vast discography from a preeminent 6-stringer, it’s proof that Russell continues to develop as a player and adapt his sound to fit a few years ahead of our contemporary times. His well-oiled band not only supports, but helps lift him above the clouds.

Ray Russell - electric & acoustic guitars, and Prophet-5
Simon Phillips - drums, synths
Ian Palmer - drums
Ralph Salmins - drums
George Baldwin - bass guitar
Laurence Cottle - bass guitar
Jim Watson - keys, ARP Odyssey, acoustic piano
Tim Whitehead - tenor & soprano saxes
Johnny Thirkell - trumpet, flugelhorn