Pinnick Gales Pridgen - Pinnick Gales Pridgen
Magna Carta Records
http://www.magnacarta.net/pinnickgalespridgen

Rating: A

Magna Carta Records has hit a home run with the debut album by Pinnick Gales Pridgen.  The band, the vision of music icon Mike Varney, features hard hitting rock and roll with the groove of Hendrix and the swagger of everything that was cool about 1970’s riff rock.  There is even some funk and soul mixed in for good measure.  The entire album features balls to the wall, flat out virtuoso playing and singing on every song.

The band is made up of King’s X bassist dUg Pinnick, guitar god Eric Gales and drummer Thomas Pridgen.  Gales, a couple of years removed from a stint in jail, is playing like a man who relishes his second chance on life that this band has given him.  dUg Pinnick, always one of the best when it comes to groove oriented rock music, delvers big on the album as well.  Pridgen, the least known of this supergroup, holds down the beat and expertly guides the groove on the drums. 

This is one of those special collections of music, when everything simply went right.  The guitar solos are crisp, the riffs are rocking, the soft moments are emotional and the power of the music could take down a runaway freight train without breaking a sweat. 

The star of the show is truly Eric Gales, as he plays with more authenticity and power than he has ever shown before.  He has come out of his shadow as the wonder kid, Jimi Hendrix clone in this band.  Just check out his solo on “Wishing Well” as it proves this is a man brimming with musical passion.  There is not a bad song, let alone note, on this album.  Highlights include the poignant “For Jasmine,” the insane “Been So High (The Only Place to Go is Down)” and the groovy “Hang on Big Brother.”  Just for kicks the band slams out a wonderful remake of the Cream tune “Sunshine of Your Love.” 

It may only be February, but it is safe to say that Pinnick Gales Pridgen is going to go down as one of the best releases of 2013.  Hell, its one of the best releases this millennium.  These guys can flat out play and they have no problem letting their creativity spin out of control.  Somehow, they harnessed this incredible musical force and recorded one hell of an album.   

Icon album cover artist IOANNIS (http://www.dangerousage.com) lent his talents to the band with a colorful album cover proving every detail of this great album was done right. 

This one is a must-own.

By Jeb Wright