PATRIOT LEDGER (Sept. 21, 2001)

WIDE OPEN, Vic Foley (Liquid Blue Records, One Crownmark Drive, Lincoln, RI 02865)

Music lovers have enjoyed watching

the development of Providence guitarist Vic Foley

for several years now, as he's opened for a panoply

of touring acts in his hometown. Vic Foley's Southern

Fried Swang Thang, a gutbucket rock and blues outfit,

evolved into the slightly more genteel Southern Fried

Swang Thang. Now the trio is simply billed as Vic Foley,

and on his 45 minute debut album he makes a strong case for

headlining status of his own. Nine of the 10 cuts here are originals

and while Foley's influences are obvious, he's crafted a

stylistic niche of his own.

Foley can excel at the roaring rock or squealing blues lines like

so many other guitarists, but he also leavens his music

with a healthy dollop of funk.

Reference points include Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix,

to be sure, but Foley's let a bit of G.Love and Sly Stone seep

into the mix too.

The contemporary blues "Goin Blind" tells of life as a struggling

musician, and the concise articulation of Foley's guitar lines enable

it to embody both funky swing and crackling rock 'n' roll. "Ridin"

brings the mood into more of a ZZ Top mode, with a gritty roadhouse

feel. The contrasts with Dave Manuel's Hammond B-3 organ on

"Last to Know" work terrifically with Foley's spacey guitar, building

a funky blues-rock sound that is uniquely his own.

The instrumental "Vic's Lament" is a tune for six-string aficionados to

swoon over, a midtempo workout in which Foley's fat, funk-drenched

tone is delivered in combination with irresistable rock 'n' roll drive.

"Why can't you love me?" brings a bit of that ZZ Top flavor back, but

mixes it with hard funk rhythms to come up with something special.

The rhythm section of Mike Viera on bass and John Paul Benitez on

drums (most often although three other drummers appear on single

cuts) is vigorous and frequently adventurous too.