Matt Pearce & The Mutiny
By Martine Ehrenclou
London-based outfit Matt Pearce & The Mutiny are set to release their new album, The Soul Food Store, on April 29thst via Mutinear Records. It’s the group’s slump-free sophomore record and serves up a heaping helping of extra-tasty rocking blues, rock & roll, and funky grooves. The new record features a variety of musical influences, fresh melodies, and catchy hooks across its 11 original tracks all designed to lift your spirits and fuel your shoes.
Matt Pearce is the longtime guitarist for the UK rock band Voodoo Six. He released five albums with V6, the latest out in 2020. Not one to be idle, he formed Matt Pearce & The Mutiny and hit the ground running with their 2019 debut album Gotta Get Home. The album was #1 in the Amazon Best Selling Blues Albums and Hot New Releases charts and earned critical acclaim worldwide.
Matt Pearce & The Mutiny groove hard around Pearce’s soulful vocals and masterful guitar work. He and the band have a lockdown grip on the tricky task of coming up with well-conceived material packed with dynamic beats and memorable hooks. These spicy ingredients make The Soul Food Store as interesting to listen to as it is to dance to and display a high level of songcraft.
Pearce explains, “I wanted my album to be what my favourite music is to me, somewhere to go to be happy, laugh, sing, dance, forget all my troubles, or be comforted despite them.”
A guitarist with considerable skills, Matt Pearce is also an expressive vocalist with an edgy twist. He and his top-tier band launch the new set with “Got A Thing Goin’ On,” a rocking blues number with delicious rhythms and horns. It’s a high-energy opening kicker, urgent and upbeat. With stinging sax lines and a sinfully-good guitar solo, Matt and the group immediately get you involved and out of your seat. The mighty lineup on these sessions includes Matt Pearce (vocals, guitars), Kelpie McKenzie (bass), Joe Lazarus (drums), Daliah Sherrington (vocals), Jon Moody and Joe Mac (keyboards), Steve Beighton (sax), Richard Heacock (strings), Mark Greenfield (percussion), and Terry Edwards (trumpet). Pearce also wrote, arranged, and produced the entire project.
The variety of influences on The Soul Food Store is invigorating, unique, and fresh. From the psychedelia-influenced “All The Gods,” a guitar-driven rock & roll number flush with cool chord changes, to The Beatles vibe on the lovely rock ballad “Bring It All To Me,” Pearce fearlessly follows his vision wherever it leads and we get to reap the rewards of his quest.
Full of Pearce’s delightful acoustic guitar playing, “The Soul Food Store” is a contemporary blues/R&B track overflowing with rhythmic bliss. The Mutiny’s signature vocal harmonies are especially sweet on this tune and make it a great kick-back-on-a-Sunday-afternoon type of song, The acoustic guitar and organ sound is deeply satisfying and fully human.
“Don’t Take It So Hard” is a riveting tune that catches fire with compelling guitar hooks and piano work. Pearce’s vocals are backed by Daliah Sherrington’s harmonies and the pairing is a tight and enjoyable combination. The song merges into a Pink Floyd-ish jam with Sherrington vamping over Pearce’s melodic and inspiring guitar solo. It’s jam territory here as Steve Beighton’s sax floats in on the outro to seal the deal.
The closing track “King of the World” is a stomping rocker with Pearce and Sherrington doubling on vocals. Pearce sings “Everybody should be king of the world every day” and that, my friends, is the theme of the album: positive, uplifting tunes that rise above, delivered with passion and gusto. Matt Pearce & The Mutiny have a winner on their hands with The Soul Food Store, one that should open a lot of doors for them this year. Highly recommended.
Watch “Got a Thing Going On”
Matt Pearce & The Mutiny website
Looking forward to the album.