MOTHER PEARL is the combo of singer/songwriter Pearl Aday (oldest daughter of rock opera kingpin MEAT LOAF) and her new backing band, MOTHER SUPERIOR. From the looks of things, the MS guys put together the music, and Aday wrote most of the lyrics. According to her website, what started off as a lighthearted party joke between Aday and MS developed into this full-blown collaboration. Now, for those of you that are still with me, the question is obvious. Is this another sparkling gem in the crown of the Stonesy power trio, or a cardboard Sheryl Crow-flavored trip to The Gap? The answer is…well, neither.

Aday is no newcomer to the music business. She’s traveled the world with the likes of MEAT LOAF and MOTLEY CRUE, and at least on the surface seems pretty well-connected for a young woman establishing her solo career. If nothing else, she knows the value of having a great backing band. Think back to those early VH and GNR records…what jumps out? Yeah, the vocals are ok, but the bands are tighter than the ’79 gas shortage. Gotta give her some props for making that connection. And there’s no need for me to go into any kind of discourse on the triumphs of the MS boys. While commercial success has remained elusive, the band has had a career that others would gouge their eyes out for. They’ve worked with Rollins and Kramer, jammed with everybody from Eric Burdon to Steve McDonald, and their albums sound like those early STONES and DOOBIES records that you never wanna take off the turntable. You get the idea. As we’ve said many times before Jim, Jason, and Matt are the real deal. They could turn an accounting firm’s annual Christmas dinner into a Jäger and coke, sex in the bathroom kinda shindig.

The melding of sounds on this Scott Ian/Bruce Robb-produced affair has its ups and downs. Aday’s voice is warm, glossy, and smooth. The overall vibe of the record is an interesting amalgamation of Jim Wilson’s guitar grit and dollops of Mutt Lange-esque studio patina. In some ways, it reminds me of one of those late 70s Warner Brothers rock releases that retains some degree of edginess while crossing into the big leagues. At other times, it just sounds like an 80s-style Eric Martin solo thing better suited for ‘Shockwave FM, home of the commercial free electric power hour,”. or something.

“Love Pyre” seems to find the MOTHER PEARL project hitting on all cylinders, comprised of a rough-and-tumble slide guitar riff that, coupled with Aday’s voice, brings to mind some of the newer BONNIE RAITT stuff. Not the 70s discs that you wore out trying to learn “Cry Like a Rainstorm”… I mean the newer ones. The melancholy “My Heart Isn’t In It” shows all evidence to the contrary, with Bruce Robb’s quirky horn arrangements adding some unconventional spice to a bluesy , 70s flavored ballad.

Some of the weaker moments include Aday’s rather chafing Patsy Cline croon in the cover of Randy Newman’s “Guilty” (again, interesting as RAITT also covered this track way back when). Also somewhat grating is the overusage of the word “love” in the lyrics to the midtempo “Not Right Now”. There are a few other moments on the disc that rankle with a “Star Search” kind of throb, but for the most part, such moments are fleeting. The band rocks hard, and Jim’s solos are just-a-little-too-spectacular compared to other radio-friendly singer/songwriter albums. MOTHER PEARL plugs in a little tension and originality to the mix along with some of the previously mentioned elements.

All in all, the CD is a smidge more rockin’ than you’d expect. It’s like that commercial (is it for a car? Insurance? This is the problem with advertising) “Not more than you need, just better than you’re used to”. I can think of much deeper tragedies than hearing Pearl Aday and the MS boys rock you on your morning drive or your lunchtime trip to Subway. Let’s keep pushing the envelope a little at a time with releases like these and replace Pro Tools and Midi tricks with one-takes and squealing feedback. At any rate, this is pretty genuine. You won’t see Pearl Aday blaming her backup band for lip-synch mistakes any time soon.

- Marchman

OFFICIAL SITE: www.mother-pearl.com

MP3 SOUND SCRAP: Killing Trend (Broken Thorny Crown)

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