Trust me, I didn't start this blog intending for it to be a catalog for all of dUg Pinnick's various side projects - it just happened. Today's example is the debut album from - you guessed it - supergroup Pinnick Gales Pridgen, a - you guessed it - an outfit specializing in hard // psychedelic rock, blues, and funk. Pinnick is well within his weelhouse here alongside guitarist Eric Gales (who plays guitar upside-down a la Hendrix, as does Pinnick) and ex-Mars Volta stickman Thomas Pridgen: Pinnick Gales Pridgen is an hour-plus long buffet of blues rock goodness that covers everything from instrumentals to ballads, but the wide breadth of material contained here makes for a record that feels less than the some of its parts at times.
Opening cuts "Collateral Damage" and "Angels and Aliens" start get the sled moving at a brisk pace, with Gales' tastefully biting licks finding a natural partner in Pinnick's all-encompassing backup harmonies. A short interlude, "For Jasmine", gives us a breather as we dive into the album proper: "Wishing Well"' and "Hate Crime" simply ooze dUg with their impassioned delivery and slow rolling riffs, "Been So High (The Only Place To Go Is Down)" is over ten minutes of honest to God Delta blues and Gales' playing continues to impress on "The Greatest Love" and the album's lone cover "Sunshine of Your Love". Pridgen keeps up with his bandmates but his playing on this record seems more locked in with the groove than above it - certainly not a bad thing given the material. Speaking of, PGP isn't something for those lacking in time: the runtime tops out in the 70 minute range and there are only 2 tracks flying in under 4 minutes, which prove to make this album less of a pleasure than it should be. The boys take plenty of time to wring these songs of every drop they can, which has the side effect of making PGP drag its feet in places, particularly the back 9: "Black Jeans" could be half as long as it is with no lost love, but and "Angels and Aliens" and "Hang On, Big Brother" might've benefited from some trimming as well. As it stands, though, Pinnick Gales Pridgen is much more good than bad as nearly every song stands out on its own as a well-crafted rock song. Long in the tooth but certainly worth keeping in rotation.
C+
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