The Palfreyman Collective’s eponymous album is a pristine classic rock masterpiece filled with 11 energetic and meaningful tracks. The band has a wonderful sense of instrumentation involving edgy guitars and vocal styles that have a rather vintage appeal to them.
The ambitious and excellent album “Decades,” co-written by David Palfreyman and Nicholas Pegg, was released in 2017. David Palfreyman has since come up with a new project, “The Palfreyman Collective,” which was released on November 18, 2022. The Palfreyman Collective is, as the name suggests, a group of musicians who have collaborated with David Palfreyman and have come together to bring this concept to life. David Palfreyman, a lyricist, assembled a collection of musicians and singers called the Palfreyman Collective, and they go above and beyond that. It is a noteworthy accomplishment that “The Palfreyman Collective” successfully combines several styles and genres under one brand.
The Palfreyman Collective is a tight, talented band that consists of the following vocalists: Paul Manzi, Jesse Smith, Damien Edward, Allegra Shock, and Sarah Jane Morris. Other members include; Martin Barker, Matt Hector on drums, Greg Hart (Cats in Space) Rodger Hanna (Decades) on guitars, Ben Miles, and Dan Mckenna on bass. Everything was brought together by David Palfreyman. He gives the project voice, yet he is not always in the spotlight. In actuality, the reverse is true. Although he lets others shine, the project is ultimately his, and he sounds great. His voice is incredibly powerful and emotive, and the arrangements are nearly perfect. The musicians play in unison and have a long history of collaboration.
The self-titled album by The Palfreyman Collective is a flawless example of classic rock and contains 11 upbeat and significant songs. The musicians have a great sense of instrumentation that includes edgy guitars and voice styles that have a somewhat retro charm.
“The Palfreyman Collective” tracklist:
1. To Die, To Be Really Dead – Feat. David Palfreyman
2. Invaluable Soul – Feat. Damien Edwards
3. Downtrodden Boy – Feat. David Palfreyman
4. In This Little Place – Feat. David Palfreyman
5. Isn’t it so – Feat. Damien Edwards
6. Once I was Here – Feat. David Palfreyman
7. I Can’t Be With You – Feat. David Palfreyman
8. Slowburner – Feat. Paul Manzi
9. Jaded Zone Driver – Feat. Jesse Smith
10. Who am I today? – Feat. Allegra Shock
11. Afraid Of The Morning – Feat. Sarah Jane Morris
The lovely “To Die, To Be Really Dead” opens the album, which may sound like a gloomy way to start an album, but it actually does the opposite. This tribute to vampires and the classic Universal horror movies from the 1930s is a thrilling way to start the album, especially with the powerful drums. David Palfreyman sounds better than ever, and the background voices are evocative of glam rock from the 1970s. Anthemic rock song “To Die, To Be Really Dead” features catchy chanting backing vocals and a commanding drum arrangement. The sound has a strong sense of energy, which leads to the wonderful “Invaluable Soul,” which features Damien Edwards on vocals and is breathtakingly gorgeous. The album’s versatility lies in the fact that it shifts gears when you least expect it.
The album has a handful of original songs that are somewhat outside of the hard rock genre and lean more towards a pop feel, including “In This Little Place.” The song’s skeleton is laid out in the track’s energetic bass arrangement. A jazz-style piano sequence and additional voice layering give the tune a cheery, upbeat feel, and a riveting guitar solo is another feature that really enhances the song. There are many surprises on the album. Check out “Isn’t It So,” where a guitar and saxophone duet takes a love ballad to a new level while maintaining a 60s vibe.
The song “Jaded Zone Driver” combines a hard-hitting rock melody with the surge of the blues and the fantastic distorted guitar riffs that amplify the entire situation, giving the song a distinctive energy. The song also features an intriguing saxophone section that combines rock and roll with elements of funk and a big band vibe. The singer is a true beast who perfectly captures the yelling prowess of vintage rock. The song “Afraid of the Morning,” on which Sarah Jane Morris and David Palfreyman duet, serves as the album’s climax, which turns out to be a fantastic song and a fantastic way to wrap out the album.
Steve Krusher Joule, who also designed Collective (click on the links below for Eden, Hawkwind, Japan, and Black Sabbath), created the album cover. Anyone singing is mentioned as the “feature” on each track next to the name of the official project in the credits, with the exception of David Palfreyman, who is featured on numerous tracks.
Since there is so much melodic and lyrical material to explore, it is definitely worthwhile to listen to this album more than once before you are certain of what you hear. It’s an excellent and unique piece of work.
For more information about The Palfreyman Collective, click on the links below.
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