The Pszenny Project
Self released
12 tracks/50 minutes
Mark Pszenny moved from New England to South Carolina and formed this band in 2019. Looking for like-minded musicians who can mix rockabilly, funk, R&B, rock and roll and blues into a cohesive sound. They mix up blues from Chicago, Memphis, Texas and Detroit into their sound.
Mark is the lead vocalist and guitar player for this quartet. John Bunucci on bass and Ross Fleming III on drums are the backline. Jim “Wallstreet Harp” Couillard is on the harmonica.
“Hoochie Mama” gets the ball rolling. It’s a rocking number with lots of guitar and gravelly vocals. “Chronic” is a deep, slow blues with solid guitar and a great groove. Pszenny again growls out the vocals and some stinging guitar licks. “Trouble With The Man” follows is another driving cut with a rocking sound. Pszenny sings more naturally as he and the band lay out some cool sounds. Another big cut with lots of guitar solo is featured here. Next is “I Told You” where the band rocks out once more. The growl returns as Mark tells off his woman and asks her to, “Stay the hell away.” Lots more big guitar lead stuff on this one.
“2 A.M. Blues” tells of the woes both trying to sleep and with his woman. A slow shuffle, the band executes the blues with precision. That is followed by “I Digress,” a swinging and rocking little piece as Pszenny asks to take his girl on a ride. The funk comes out in “What The Funk?” as he asks his woman what’s wrong with her. This one drives along smartly to a precise tempo and metered vocal delivery. Stinging guitar rings out once again. Up Next is “Knee Deep” which opens with a wicked guitar groove and harp accompaniment as the backline lays out a smart backing groove to help drive the cut.
“Up To You” is next. A Doors-like song, the rocking cut moves along to a big beat. “Tell Me Why” is a mid tempo rocker that sounds like a 1970’s rock song. She’s Long Gone” features a Thorogood-esque sound. Pszenny growls and picks as he and the band rock on once again. They conclude with “All Funked Up,” which starts out sounding like the Doobie Brothers meet Detroit. Funky, rocking guitar riffs and some vocal voice overs make this interesting.
This is a good blues rock album featuring lots and lot of guitar. Each song gives Pszenny room to flex his guitar muscles, which he does. There are no harp solos, something I think would have added nicely to the mix. The harp was mostly lost in the background. The vocals are good but not my cup of tea. The grit and growls sound a bit forced at times. All in all, if you like rock that dabbles in the blues, then this is something you might want to give a spin. Lots of guitar licks and lots of rocking, driving original cuts make up this self titled album with a dozen new songs.
