Pinnick Gales Pridgen: Pinnick Gales Pridgen

Pinnick Gales Pridgen are a Super Trio for 2013 with a pedigree that is steeped in some of the tastiest Hard Rock & Blues that has been available since the late '80's. Pinnick Gales Pridgen (PGP from now on) are comprised of the super soulful voiced and left handed bass playing of the one and only dUg Pinnick of the musician favorite, King's X (also check out Supershine, Poundhound, The Mob), the enigmatic guitar prowess of Eric Gales, the teenaged wunderkind that fronted his own band, the Eric Gales Band (has also played for Lauryn Hill) in the early '90's and has gone on to become one of the most talented Blues-Rock players on the planet, not to mention easily one of the Top 3 most unknown/underrated guitar players in the world. Rounding out this trio is drummer Thomas Pridgen formerly of The Mars Volta, who brings his ambidextrous drumming style to this already uber talented lineup.

This self titled debut rocks 13 songs full of Hard Rock, Bluesy Psychedelic and some tasty Progressive R&B in a way that has not been heard in a long time. This is a Sonic Smorgasbord that has each member bringing something to table and the results are killer. Take the sum of the parts of where each member comes from and add in a dash of Stevie Wonder, a pinch of old school ZZ Top, a splash of Cream and a shake or two of Jimi Hendrix and you are beginning to get an idea of what PGP are delivering. Smoking tracks like "Black Jeans" and the dark "Lascivious" find dUg Pinnick's voice in '90's form, just crushing the vocals with that velvety smooth soul just oozing and also finds Eric Gales wrangling his completely left handed Strat styled guitar (YES, he played the guitar COMPLETELY upside down!!) like no one else. If you are completely unfamiliar with Gales' playing, imagine what a combination of Hendrix, the Rev. Billy F. Gibbons, SRV and Eric Johnson might sound like while playing the guitar upside down and you're getting close! (No, I'm not a Fan of Gales at all!!)

What trio would be complete without dusting off a cover from the 1st real Super Group Trio, Cream?! "Sunshine of Your Love" gets the treatment with both Gales and Pinnick swapping vocal chores, as they do quite often throughout this debut. "Been So High (The Only Place To Go Is Down)" is another slab of Heavy Blues that has the vocals shared, but with dUg taking much of the load and Eric Gales just tears it up with his on point Blues noodling. Gales is relentless on this entire album, to the point where he makes the listener make those "guitar player in anguish" faces when he's digging in. His performance throughout is just simply awe-inspiring. "Hang On, Big Brother" is an upbeat Progressive Bluesy Rocker that just rips where Pinnick and Gales again trade vocals back and forth. Produced by guitar music legend, Mike Varney, PGP sound tight and edgy while maintaining that bluesiness that the members have become known for.

It is their stellar musicianship that frames all of the wonderfully melodic songs that make up this effort, with a raw energy that is so catchy. dUg Pinnick sounds as amazing as you would expect and to be honest he even sounds better than that! THAT VOICE and his steady bass playing and songwriting shine through and meshes great with Gales' playing and writing and Pridgen's bombastic drumming underneath makes this such a great record to listen to over and over. If you are a fan of any of these three guys or a fan of Heavy Blues Rock, pick this record up, you will not be disappointed.

Track Listing
1.Collateral Damage
2.Angels And Aliens
3.For Jasmine
4.Hang On, Big Brother
5.Wishing Well
6.Hate Crime
7.Lascivious
8.Black Jeans
9.Sunshine Of Your Love
10.Been So High (The Only Place To Go Is Down)
11.Me And You
12.The Greatest Love
13.Frightening

Added: January 31st 2013
Reviewer: Butch Jones
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Magna Carta
Hits: 3546
Language: english

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