Mick Pini – Papa Voodoo
Mick Pini – Papa Voodoo
Format: CD – Digital
Label: Audio 54 Records via Cadiz
Release: 2024
Release date: August 15, 2024
Mick Pini is a German based, Leicester born blues guitarist, vocalist, visual artist and photographer. ‘Papa Voodoo’ is his 26th album in a 58 year career and his 3rd with Audio 54.
Craig Marshall (Audio 54) is a fellow Leicester musician turned innovative indie producer, who initially approached Mick to work on what has become the album’s title track.
The two enjoyed international success with Pini’s 55th anniversary ‘Back Track’ compilation album which charted world wide and the duo have also released ‘The Way Ahead’ album and 2 EP’s.
“Papa Voodoo sets the tone, all ambient beats, wah wah guitar and brilliant vocals.” Classic Rock
“Inspired by the openness & lightness of Peter Green, the sweetness, the string bending, and thevibrato” Raw Ramp
“Pini’s vocal and guitar playing versatility leaves an emphatic taste for more.” Bluestown Music (NL)
“The phrasing, the playing and the overall feeling of getting lost in a blues moment.” Blues Matters
“Funky grooves, buzz saw vocals, and shimmering guitar tones.” getreadytorock.com
Papa Voodoo’ takes the collaboration a step further as Pini extends his Peter Green blues influence into fusion, funk, soul, world, ambient music and even reggae.
As Mick explains: “Craig’s contemporary approach and innovative ideas pushed the music into a new and exciting direction.
I love playing behind the beat, working on a funky feel and exploring the ‘less is more’ approach and I think Papa Voodoo is a great example of that.”
Craig Marshall (Audio 54): “I think Mick was surprised by what digital technology has offered us.
The common ground was that we always support a song’s feel through the way he blends soulful guitar tones into the expanded sonic landscape.”
Website: https://www.mickpiniband.com/
Mick’s Track notes:
01. Duck Soup – Pete Feenstra came up with the title and it suited an idea I had for a Jeff Beck fusion style thing, with hints of Zappa.
02. Papa Voodoo – This song resonates in a Dr. John New Orleans kind of way. I think this is the 3rd version of the song that we have done.
03. Funky Delicatessen – Sometimes a funky groove just bubbles up, envelopes you and cries out for a particular kind of guitar tone.
04. Mornington Crescent 69 – A true story of me as a penniless musician being chased down a workers tube staircase. I managed to leap on to a tube just as the doors shut, leaving me to worry about not having a ticket……
05. Got To Get My Way Home – About different journeys we take in life. I was stranded without a visa in Canada and faced with deportation until some wonderful legal people stepped in and helped.
06. Spark – A lovely Latin groove from Craig, with a cool percussive feel which reminds me of Traffic. I worked on matching the guitar tone with the feel of the track.
07. Make It Last – This was originally a tune full of rhyming couplets, but the groove and percussion was so strong that it demanded to be a danceable instrumental!
08. Blues For Peter Green – This is a fan favourite and expresses my sense of loss for both my mum and my hero Peter Green.
09. A Cold Day In Memphis – another deeply felt blues about lost love and loneliness which is set in Memphis, but could be any time any place.
10. Never Goes Away – Sometimes when you get the blues you just have to have broad shoulders and toughen up – hence the aggressive vocal and tone.
11. Theme from Icarus – I revisited this track from nearly 30 years ago. I originally saw it as having potential for the big screen. It captures a moment in time, or maybe an era!
12. Yo Yo Love – Love can pull you up and down like a yo yo! Craig came up with the McCartney style bass line and eerie bv’s, which left just enough room for the wah wah.
13. Memphis Jazztronica – We thought about bonus tracks, and I left it to Craig to do a remix on this one, which kind if pushes the project into a more contemporary mode
14. You No Betta – This is a joyful reggae track which reminds me of my youth in Highfields in Leicester.
