Search - Nicklebag :: Mas Feedback

Reissue of cooking Hendrix-style debut!

Gareth Davies-Morris | San Diego, CA USA | 07/22/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Criminally underexposed hard rock from the late 90s. Steve Salas was the guitar whiz from Color Code, while Bernard Fowler has sung with the Stones and Ryuichi Sakamoto. They're backed up here by Bernie Worrell (Funkadelic / Talking Heads) and produced -- loudly -- by Bill Laswell. Quite a cast! Between Fowler's soulful shout and Salas shredding like Hendrix, this is really a lost gem. The sound initially recalls Living Color, but Hendrix, Cream, Robin Trower, and especially the Physical Graffiti / Presence - era Zeppelin all echo though Nicklebag's funky yet very heavy sound. More obscure black hard rockers like Sound Barrier and Mother's Finest cut similar ground but these guys go much further, delivering "Wind Cries Mary"-style ballads in "Don't Know Why I Love You" and "Turning The Other Way," prog metal in "Grow" and "Love Song," and classic riff rock in "Repetition" and "Sweet Thang" (the album's marvelous "should've-been-a-single"). Be aware that Nickelbag really only made one album, 12 Hits & A Bump, which was re-released a year later as Mas Feedback. Besides new artwork and running order, each record differs by a couple of tracks, most notably in the choice of cover songs: Mas Feedback includes takes on "Only Happy When It Rains" and "I Am The Walrus" but drops the first version's choice covers of Bowie's "Win" and Zep's "Hots On For Nowhere." I prefer the first release, therefore, but either is well worth owning."

Rock and soul/funk music

Gareth Davies-Morris | 04/09/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Nicklebag is a rock/funk band consisting of Bernard Fowler (backup singer for the Rolling Stones when they play live) on vocals and Stevie Salas on guitar with an assortment of other musicians (Doug Wimibish, Brian Tichy, etc.) helping out on bass and drums. The music is Led Zepplin-influenced rock fused with funk and soul. The uptempo songs are hard hitting and energetic and the ballads are beautiful and soulful. Most of the songs on here are originals and they cover Funkadelic's "Hit it and Quit it" perfectly. This CD is a hidden diamond."

Garbage cover standout track

Gareth Davies-Morris | 06/04/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This album is worth getting for the incredibly majestic and energy pumped into the Garbage song "Only Happy When it Rains". The song takes on a bluesy, powerful rock anthem that blows the original t a mythical level. This song becomes a classic thru Nicklebag."