If you were thinking of putting a price on love, then put $12.99 on this album, because that’s what the “Price on Love” is, if your love is for contemporary rock blues, a great guitar duo with a roots rock chart-topping songwriter and promoter.
The self-titled album from Black Pearl began as a songwriting project and soon developed into a full contemporary rock blues album. All the old-school funky grooves meet Americana, Latino, and Roots Rock, as on the track Mexican Romance.
Along with 10 other songs from Marcus Malone, Muddy Manninen with lyrics from Pete Feenstra, the album combines elements of sweet soulful guitar playing, the unique voice of Marcus Malone – who we featured in the ‘Sunshine for the Soul’ article – along with guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Muddy Manninen who moved on from Wishbone ash to create such modern blues and rock masterpieces like his ‘River Flows’ album.
Instead of writing about each individual song, this video should help you make up your own mind about the rest of the tunes on this 11 Track contemporary rock blues album.
Listen especially to track 6 ‘Mexican Romance’ in the next section.
I have also included the Black Pearl Get Ready to Rock Radio show interview below to listen to and learn more about this contemporary blues-rock arrangement.
Black Pearl Featured on The Pete Feenstra Show
Track 6 Mexican Romance
I have chosen this tune maybe because in parts it reminds me of the funk
guitar in Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’, which is supposed to have been
generated on a Hohner Clavinet D6 keyboard.
I am not sure about that, but there were a few problems with Jeff Beck
and Stevie Wonder during the recording of the track. However, that’s for another
article.
‘Mexican Romance’ is a song written with the end part by Frank
Zappa’s Ruben & The Jets in mind. The rap outro was written by Feenstra
with both Zappa and his own travels through South and Central America in
mind. He thought the former Ike Turner protégé Marcus Malone would be
perfect for the job, and Malone gives the track a unique adventurous style.
Track 4 The Price on Love
For a moment I thought there were small elements of Chris de Burgh’s
‘Missing You in the song, but that’s my opinion. “Price on Love” is bluesy and
sentimental. When it comes to the real price of love it is like playing a cheap
versus expensive guitar. Sometimes the price is low and the sound is
awesome, but at other times, paying the price still doesn’t necessarily
guarantee the sound.
Muddy Manninen may not be playing a cheap guitar. – in fact, he’s using a
Fender custom shop 60s Strat thru a Marshall DSL 100 amp – but he knows
how to get the sound right on this and several other guitars.
You can read his opinion on the firebird he often plays in our Freeing with the
firebird interview.
