Album Review of
United State of Mind

Written by Robert Silverstein
May 7, 2021 - 11:55pm EDT
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One of the most welcome musical surprises of early 2021 has got to be the release of United State Of Mind from the new blues-rock-reggae power trio called Trower Priest Brown. Although early fans still swear by his work as a founding member of the 1960s prog-rock band Procol Harum, in this setting guitarist Robin Trower is joined by reggae singer Maxi Priest and bassist / keyboardist / studio engineer Livingston Brown for their debut CD United State Of Mind. The three are joined by a wide coterie of musicians adding strings, horns, drums and more. Listening to the USM album evokes a range of retro musical moods and memories, highlighting Trower's punchy wah-wah guitar sounds with wild string section grooves echoing that cool Curtis Mayfield sound from the mid 1970s. Although recorded back in 2018, the USM album is thankfully seeing a 2021 release on the U.K. based Manhaton Records. Not completely dissimilar to Trower’s early solo albums in the 1970s, but nevertheless a totally unexpected release, United State Of Mind is a stunning testament to Robin Trower’s legacy and his latest union with these high-quality musicians makes for a most intriguing chapter in his star-studded career. Fans of U.K. guitar hero and prog-rock legend Robin Trower will thoroughly enjoy the upbeat soul-rock grooves of United State Of Mind.