A chance meeting of Maxi Priest and Robin Trower in Livingstone Brown’s studio has led to a collaboration bringing us United State of Mind. Blending R&B, Funk, Soul, and a touch of blues, this unlikely combination of artists hit the mark on their debut. Each musician stamps their unique musical personalities on the music without stepping on each other’s toes. I sit here with a smile on my face, bobbing my head to the groove of each tune. I am floored with Maxi Priest; I love his vocal style, cool, smooth, with a rich tone. Speaking of tone, Trower compliments these songs with his single coil strat weaving the perfect notes to soar over the music. Trower has always been a guitarist that puts taste and emotion first, his playing fits perfectly in this trio. I get a 70’s vibe here, but it is not dated by any means. Excellent songwriting, production and musicianship, nothing forced or contrived as the songs flow from one to another. This is not a genre that I normally gravitate to, but I get nothing but sheer enjoyment listening to the music. The music has a slow burning intensity to it; and never forget that a smoldering fire is still hot!
Personnel:
Robin Trower - Guitar
Livingstone Brown -Bass & Keyboards
Maxi Priest- Vocals
Additional Musicians: Christ Taggart (Drums), Fergus Gerrand (Percussion), Angus Mooncrieff (Trumpet), James Arben (Sax), Ed Rieband (Trombone), Steve Morris (Violin), Adrian Smith (Viola), Chris Worsey (Cello), Eileen Hunter (Flute)
Track Listing
- United State Of Mind (3:38)
- Are We Just People (5:07)
- On Fire Like Zsa Zsa (3:21)
- Walking Wounded (4:14)
- Sunrise Revolution (5:26)
- Hands To The Sky (4:21)
- Bring It All Back To You (4:26)
- Good Day (4:17)
- Where Our Love Came From (4:19)
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