A deeply emotional art form, music is a powerful medium that is very much open to interpretation by the listener. Whether it is music to soothe the savage breast or inflame the ire, listening is rarely a passive experience and so, when an album as thought provoking and open-hearted as United State Of Mind comes along, it inevitably draws the attention. The result of a superficially unlikely collaboration between Maxi Priest, Robin Trower and producer Livingston Brown, the record sees Priest and Trower, both musicians of great experience and stature, stretching out of their comfort zone to produce an album of great depth and beauty. A fruitful collaboration, United State Of Mind is a record to calm the mind, to question the senses and, most importantly in these fractured times, to unite listeners around the musical vision of a trio who delight in their mutual respect.
The album opens with the mellow title track and immediately we’re hooked as the trio serve up a gorgeously soulful blues that makes great use of Maxi’s vocal talents and Robin’s instinctively emotive guitar work. With strings sweeping across the mix, Maxi is at pains to point out that every single sound heard on the album is the work of a live musician playing directly from the heart, and not the work of a synthesiser. Such attention to detail is what makes the album so special, and the arrangements (crafted with loving care by Livingston) make the track absolutely sparkle. Lyrically inspirational, Are We Just People, asks if we shouldn’t aim for more than a daily grind in search of a pay-check, whilst musically, a subtle funk influence creeps into Robin’s wah-inflected guitar and Livingston’s sanguine basslines. Love of a different sort is referenced on the blazing On Fire Like Zsa Zsa, which references the legendary Zsa Zsa Gabor with a smoking riff reminiscent of Peter Gabriel’s salacious Sledgehammer. The comedown after the party is the heart broken blues of Shut Me Down (aka Walking Wounded), which recalls the gorgeous Clapton / Sting / Kamen collaboration of It’s Probably Me, with Maxi displaying a vulnerability deftly echoed by Robin’s aching guitar. The first half concludes with the gorgeous Sunrise Revolution, which sounds like a James Bond theme with its heavy soul vocal and sensual horn arrangement. Lyrically, the track allows some of Maxi’s frustration with the current political climate to creep in, but it’s juxtaposed with the gorgeously languid musical backdrop as if to underscore the belief of both Maxi and Robin that revolution should be peaceably achieved.
Opening the second half of the record with the endlessly danceable Hand To The Sky, Maxi dominates proceedings with a lively vocal that feels like it’s being beamed live into your living room. Once again, the track is elevated immeasurably by the fact that no shortcuts were taken, and the live instrumentation ensures that the track cooks where a more synthetic approach might have fizzled. Incorporating elements of jazz, reggae, blues and soul, it’s an album highlight, largely thanks to the Maxi’s spontaneous vocalisations, and it would make a cracking single. A slower track, Bring It All Back To You is a late night blues that whispers in your ear like some long lost Otis Redding track. However, you can’t keep the duo down for long, and where Bring It All Back offers a chilled out vibe, the smoky riff of Good Day puts a spring in your step as Maxi breezes in with a lyric that seeks to wipe away the blues in one easy motion. With the strings swooning through the mix and Robin’s gritty licks, Good Day is another album high point, leading the listener inevitably to a finale that comes all too soon. Closing the album, Where Our Love Came From sees Maxi turn the lights down low with an intimate soul track and, having reeled you in, he calmly hands over to Robin for one of the record’s most exquisite solos.
Not a moment is wasted on United State Of Mind. Despite the obvious creativity that must have been flowing around the studio, the trio have kept a tight grasp on runtimes, ensuring that each track (and the album as a whole) leaves you wanting that little bit more. Elegant and soulful, yet gritty and danceable when called for, United State Of Mind is a collaboration built on mutual love and respect – the heartfelt lyrics, the stunning call and response between Maxi’s vocals and Robin’s guitar, not to mention the additional flourishes brought to the table by Livingston Brown all serve to make this an absolute joy. Put simply, United State Of Mind is an inspirational offering that will brighten even the darkest day. 10/10
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