United State of Mind shouldn’t work as well as it does. On paper the idea of Robin Trower the guitar ace and Procol Harum founding member - who sold millions of records in the 70s and 80s with his brand of power-trio, blues-rock - forming a band with Maxi Priest the British singer who enjoyed chart success in the 1990s (‘Close To You’ was a US No.1 in 1990) with a sound that merged elements of reggae and R&B seems at the very least unlikely (The pair aren’t quite David and Bing but it’s a pretty close run thing). Any fears prove unfounded as there is plenty of musical chemistry on show here. Robin initially met Maxi by chance in the studio of producer Livingstone Brown who recalls “When Robin first met Maxi; I thought this cannot end well. Wow, this record is proof I was so wrong!” Livingstone Brown is the glue that holds USM together utilising his bass and keyboard skills alongside his duties as the producer on as soulful a record as you’re likely to hear this year.

Back in the days of LP records (the first time, not the recent resurgence of interest) part of the joy of a 12” album jacket was the sleeve notes. You’d hope for a lyric sheet but if all else failed there was the absolute joy of digging into all that additional info (this was in the days when I didn’t need a magnifying glass to read the small print). Many hours would be spent pouring over the credits to ascertain who played what, the colour of the bass players socks and, most importantly, where was the album recorded? Various studios gained positive notoriety for sound and a feel that you couldn’t quite put your finger on that lay deep in the grooves. Abbey Road would instantly shout The Beatles, Rockfield conjured up visions of Ozzy in a barn with sheep watching the sessions while much further afield Compass Point painted glamourous pictures of lazing by the pool cocktail in hand. Then there was the FAME studio in Muscle Shoals Alabama…

USM - United State Of Mind (Album Review)

Mick Hayes - My Claim To FAME (Album Review)