The Palfreyman Collective is the mega-collaborative project between musicians and singers that David Palfreyman brought together, and the project’s latest release is the single called “Slow Burner” which features vocalist Paul Manzi of the band The Sweet.
The track begins with a clean guitar chord progression and some nice drum rim shots that already give me biker/drifter vibes. The way Paul Manzi begins his verse makes you feel that the rest of the track will be even more epic and groovy. The chorus has got to be one of the most memorable and strong choruses that I’ve ever heard coming from a modern rock project, it serves to prove how great of a songwriter David Palfreyman is. The rhythm section is present with enough strength and thunderous grooves to make this qualify as a 70s hard rock track, but the cowbell and the riffs add a country/southern flavor as well.
If we call some bands skater rock and stoner rock for their aesthetic and lyrics, then this style should be called biker/drifter rock cause this is what you will visualize the moment you hear it.
The star of this song is without a doubt the solo part, which began as a saxophone solo but ended up feeling like the sax is up against the rest of the instruments. The drums get heavier and the bassline gets chunkier and then the sax solo extends a little bit more and there is a bridge section before one last chorus with Manzi’s heavenly raspy vocals. The bridge and chorus are where he really flaunts his vocal mastery, between raspy growls and higher notes in the last chorus, you could tell that this man’s range and control are impeccable.
This song is just a sample of a great record by a great songwriter who made some awesome songwriting decisions and collaborated with the best of the best to make his ideas come to life. I heavily recommend this track with the whole self-titled album if you’re looking for a tight rock record that won’t let you down.
