Matt Pearce is a founder member of UK rockers Voodoo Six and this May he’s stepped out and done something a little different with his first solo project with his band The Mutiny – putting together what is essentially a Soul and Funk dipped Blues-based album in ‘Gotta Get Home’. Not that his career already hasn’t had enough packed into it already of course – starting out with the Tracie Hunter Band before releasing five scorching albums with Voodoo Six, he’s also played with ex-Judas Priest guitarist Ritchie Faulkner, and plays in a Fleetwood Mac/Tom Petty tribute act. This, though, it has to be said is a little different again and I like it!
For me there’s a lot of Kotzen and Gales in here and no little echo of the great Stevie Ray Vaughan and opener ‘Scarecrowing’ is the best way to plant that front foot – it’s wonderful and classy Blues Rock with a touch of funk.
‘Ordinary Blues’ that follows sounds more organic and has a touch of early 80’s Prince jamming with The Black Crowes! It’s wonderful stuff and we’ve only just scratched the surface!
There’s lot to love here indeed, and the moods and the sonic landscape changes as you step through it – one of the biggest tracks has to be ‘Some People’ a song that sounds like it’s stepped out of the mid-seventies, replete with some great Hammond. It’s not alone though in its finery – both ‘Gotta Get Home’ and ‘Set me Free’ have aspects that fans of Southern Rock and the Black Crowes, like me, will enjoy.
Then there’s the great big grooves of ‘Like A Hammer’; and the wonderful title track ‘Gotta Get Home’ which starts out with some killer slide before that ‘Southern Harmony’ Gospel vocal kicks in- it just might be my pick of the bunch.
Not your traditional Blues album this, indeed the most traditional we get is probably the Delta Blues feel of ‘Worried.’ We end in style too with the catchy mid-paced Blues Rocker ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ Allin allit’s all rather impressive…
