Well, we've not heard anyone make this sound for some time. Not since the Red Hot Chilli Peppers were still an interesting band has anyone bothered to weld rock and funk together and see if they can get it to roll down the high street. Until Kingskin turned up, that is.

Stoner rock riffs groove alongside wocka-wocka porn movie guitar chops in songs that could soundtrack a stoned lazy drive through the city on a hot summer's day; the bass pops and twangs in time with brisk drumming, and over the top is a layer of gravelly vocals. It's foot-tapping stuff, boisterous without being too boastful or tough.

It's not very original, though. Anyone who's old enough to remember Mordred and the Infectious Grooves will be familiar with the territory covered in 'Humpin Mojo', namely the marriage of ass-shaking grooves to the metallic sound-du-jour. There's nothing new in the stoner-by-numbers lyrics, either; I mean, I know that this is an inherently US style, but English bands singing about their "bottom dollar"? We can do better than that, surely.

Still, there's five solid tunes here, even if they're not outstanding. I get the feeling that Kingskin are probably a much more entertaining proposition live, but they need a bit of songwriting depth to back up the funky dimension of their sound on record.



Track Listing