Magna Carta
was always game for pioneering ‘supergroups’, as Liquid Tension Experiment,
Black Light Syndrome and many others have proved. Less than 2 years ago this
Prog Rock label acted as matchmaker for a very particular trio of musicans:
bassist/vocalist dUg Pinnick (King's X), guitarist/vocalist Eric Gales (Eric
Gales Band, Lauryn Hill) and drummer Thomas Pridgen (ex Mars Volta, Suicidal
Tendencies). ‘Particular’ since their backgrounds share an inclination for Funk
and groove, factors which inevitably re-emerge in this second Pinnick Gales
Pridgen outing.
So yes,
there’s an abundance of groovy Hard Rock with strong Blues and Funk undertones
(think Lenny Kravitz and Jimi Hendrix, then turn up the volume). The vocals are
deep and soulful, the songs abrasive but with generally catchy choruses and the
level of musicianship is top-notch. Thus, the ingredients for a spectacular
album are within reach…but in reality it doesn’t quite get there. For example I
missed a certain pluckiness in the songwriting, in the vocal interpretation and
in the drums – factors that kept me, only just, from diving headfirst into the
music.
After spinning
the album a few times, I found myself returning to the same few songs. One of
these was ‘Watchman’, featuring a particularly inspired Gales aptly backed by a
gripping rhythm section. ‘Psychofunkadelic Blues’ is self-explanatory and
delivers on the exuberance that the title infers – basically a sort of Hendrix
for the 21st century.
“PGP 2” will
be of particular interest to fans of King’s X and Mars Volta and of Progressive
Rock but I also suspect the album will appeal to fans of rhythm-driven
Metal/Rock such as Rage Against The Machine and Pantera.
Pinnick Gales
Pridgen "PGP2" album trailer:
