United State Of Mind

United State Of Mind MANHATON. CD/DL/LP

Robin Trower and Maxi Priest: together at last.

It’s an unlikely union: the balm-encrusted vocals of Maxi Priest and the appealingly jagged squallings of guitarist Robin Trower, who was making Procol Harum albums while his future partner was attending primary school. Along with Kylie Minogue and Corinne Bailey Rae’s bassist Livingstone Brown, they are United State Of Mind. Sometimes the results are as adventurous as the pairing promises to be, not least on the opening title track, where Trower guitarbombs Priest’s smoothness. Elsewhere, though, it’s surprisingly seamless. Priest sets the pace and for the most part that’s languid – though not reggae – while Trower complements rather than competes on the gentle swirl of Sunrise Revolution and the slinky On Fire Like Zsa Zsa. Sometimes, though, the whole project is too laidback for its own good and the respective parties could surely have been less polite, but, as oddities go, it’s no disgrace.