Pristine - No Regret - New Release Review

I've just received the newest release, No Regret, from international sensation Pristine. In case you missed my earlier coverage of this Norwegian band, these guys have pulled from many influences but have a really cool fresh sound. Opening with Carry Your Own Weight, lead singer/songwriter Heidi Solheim bursts up with powerful vocals to rival Grace Slick and the band really drives! With a power blues rock sound, Espen Elverum Jakobsen on guitar and Anders Oskal on organ really fill the sphere of sound. She Won maintains the dominant strong vocal sound with wah guitar effects and searing guitar leads. With the intensity of an original San Francisco band, Pristine steamrolls through this cool track. Tell Me is a rocker with strong blues influences. Asmund Wilter Kildal Eriksson on bass and Kim Karlsen on drums support this track which is likely to be a hot airwaves track with super guitar work and vocal hook. The Occasional Wife is a sweet R&B style blues ballad. This track sets itself up nicely for Solheim really gets the chance to demonstrate the warmth of her voice and the strength of her writing. Jakobsen is given the opportunity to play some particularly tasty guitar riffs perfectly complimenting the track. Excellent! One Good Reason has a strong Hendrix like vibe but with a modern rhythmic twist allowing Solheim the freedom to sing over one of the strongest euro blues rock bands in years. No Regret, the title track, sounds like an interesting mutation of Renaissance and Led Zeppelin, and interesting turn that I wasn't expecting. Featuring an onslaught of guitar mayhem, I really like it. Pistols and Petticoats is an honest blend of funk, blues and rock. This is another really cool track that is certain to get your attention. Jakobsen rips some really soaring guitar sounds and Eriksson and Karlsen lay down a really hot beat. One Good Reason is a stripped down blues track with acoustic guitar and dobro work from Norwegian guitar hero Bjorn Berge. Completing the release is Beyond Retreat highlighting the purity of Solheim's vocals. The track has a lot of the spaciousness of Led Zeps No Quarter. This is a really interesting release with music that is different than I'm hearing anywhere else. Check it out!

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BluesNews Records artist: Pristine -New Release - Detoxing - Review

I just received a copy of the new recording by Pristine called Detoxing. Pristine is a Norwegian band led by vocalist Heidi Solheim. The recording opens with a very cool unusual jazzy blues tune called Damned If I Do. It hints back to the exploration into progressive or psychedelic rock and with heavy blues overtones. It is loaded with plenty of blues lead soloing backed by Hammond and rhythm. I think that it is a very strong track. You Don't Know, a funk infused song follows the intro and again has a terrific guitar interlude that gets my gears moving. Breaking Bad is a up tempo texas style blues and delivers the good with jazz overtones. Interesting touch. Whipping Post, yes the Allman Brothers Whipping Post slips in there. Pristine puts their own twist on it in a more stripped down version. The Countdown, a more straight forward rock style tune gives the band another shade of blue. Damage Is Done is a light funk track which mostly features Solheim's vocals. The Last Day is a subtle blues song that starts off quiet but builds to a full out grabber. Guitar work again is worth the price of admission as Espen Elverum Jakobsen takes his guitar by the neck and shows it who's boss. One of Norways top singer/songwriters and performers, Knut Reiersrud is featured on both this track as well as the last track, The Blind. Detoxing really puts me a lot in mind of the early San Francisco sound and the real psychedelic experimentation. Quite Interesting. The recording closes with The Blind which is a contemporary blues rock song. Vocals and instrumentals remain strong throughout.

If you want something different... check this out. I like it and it won't be in my giveaway bin!
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