I am going to come straight out and say I was pleasantly surprised with this single! I knew nothing about these guys, and it is their debut single so I had nothing to go on!
The other factor is that I listen to a lot of music doing this role and we have the general umbrella of things we cover, notably music that we like enough to recommend to readers. If we don’t like something, or it doesn’t fall under what we cover, then we don’t review it. I was told that Mannifesto is ‘rock and funk,’ so I was interested!
The press pack tells me:
The band comprises Patsy Gamble, the versatile English soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophonist playing vocalist & composer (Steve Winwood/Mick Jagger/Paul Weller/Ruby Turner/The Gypsy Kings) and the UK based Finnish guitarist Muddy Manninen (Wishbone Ash/Black Pearl/Gringos Locos).
The quartet is powered by the renowned German rhythm section of “groovemaster”/producer Martin Engelien on bass (Tower Of Power Horns/This Van Leer/Ian Paice /Jan Akkerman /the platinum award-winning Klaus Lager Band/Go Music) and drummer Manni Von Bohr (Uli John Roth/Steve Morse/Randy Hansen/Birth Control/founder of Düsseldorf Musicians Academy).
Mannifesto formed last year for a successful German tour, while the single came together through an existing writing project between guitarist Muddy Manninen and lyricist Pete Feenstra, which saw Muddy working on an existing riff he had, while Pete dipped into lyrical imagery inspired by a trip to Paris.
As Pete says, “Muddy had this incredible riff that stuck in my mind.”
And as Muddy explains, “It was a Todd Rundgren-inspired riff and the kind of thing he did with The Nazz. I just couldn’t escape the riff and even checked it out just to make sure it wasn’t the same as The Nazz.”
Pete continues, “A few months later, Muddy sent me the finished music and I thought the uplifting lyrics might suit the sheer energy of the track, hence the titular refrain: ‘Share the love of humankind.'” Patsy then provided the perfect exuberant vocal.”
The single was released June 27, so it is currently out on all platforms. It is a precursor for an upcoming album.
My review: This number has some jazz influence in there somewhere! The vocals from Patsy Gamble are gently swaying with a touch of Billy Joel’s “It’s My Life” somewhere hiding underneath.To me this track is full of light and shade, rock with that edgy experimental spice that jazz brings to the mix. It’s hard to develop a strong opinion from one song, but these guys clearly are capable musicians who know how to move beyond their lane; they are also enjoying themselves and this comes through.
If this debut is anything to go by, Mannifesto aren’t just sharing the love of humankind — they’re spreading the groove, one infectious riff at a time.
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You can stream music from the band here
By Stevie Ritson