By Deuce

There are two principal points of interest, which rear themselves constantly in the passageways and corridors of sound compromised on the compendium of cuts known as Mark Bram / Ruby Topaz Again 23^rd Anniversary Remaster.

The first is the guitar playing, which is a grave understatement. Predominantly consisting of fire-charged electric guitar slinging from Mark Bram, this highly expressive, pyrotechnic piquant instrumentalism is sure to prick the ears of even casual listeners. It’s imbued with a deftness and expressivity that’s rare to find in music itself, and certainly that characterizing the rock and roll efforts found on this outing.

Incidentally, the tunes on this album are all re-mastered 2024 versions of songs that were released during the past couple of decades during the lengthy career of Ruby Topaz—which dates back to the 1980s.

But back to the matter at hand. The second most noticeable characteristic of these songs is the vocals, which are as unusual as they are effectual. Somehow, the vocalist—which appears to be Bram, mostly—is able to interweave unusually high pitched, trill notes with those of a more commonly found singing voice. “Want You Now” typifies this tendency with a tripped out melody that does justice to this style of singing. It’s certainly evocative, indicative of extreme emotion, and a natural complement to the raging electric guitars that dominate the majority of the tunes.

“The Sack” is as credible an offering as any on this kaleidoscope of songs. It’s got a particularly strenuous bass line, a brooding, slow tempo that seemingly connotes (if not denotes) the blues, and showcases Bram on a different type of electric guitar. This one is smoother and more inflective than the conventional rock guitar playing found on most of the other numbers.

It hearkens to B.B. King more than once which, as anyone familiar with the man or the genre he influenced knows, is quite the compliment. The explosive rock guitars come out on the hook, as does the drum playing to match, but it’s in the quieter, more pensive moments that the tune works best.

In fact, the bass is likely the strongest of the supporting cast of instruments, particularly on “Unicorn Song”. It just goes to show the range of the musicality at the disposal of Ruby Topaz, and that it likely won’t be going anywhere in the near future.