Undeniably inspired by my previous post about Dutch bands going Dutch with their lyrics, I choose a Dutch band for this week’s Classic series. I picked The Pilgrims because I just happen to like this album very much. The opening song White Men was a hit (at least over here) and the band is defined by the raw yet soulful vocals of singer Reniet Vrieze. Most famous member is probably drummer Leon Klaasse, who already enjoyed considerable success with Powerplay.
The album is positioned on the lighter spectrum of the rock scale. It is a very inspired album with, besides the already mentioned White Men, great songs like Any Trick, Dance In The Dark or Randy Newman’s Naked Man. Songs like Flamingo or Hang On are carried by the emotional vocal delivery of Vrieze. On Patoe Lele and Pela Klaasse can show his drum skills, with a lot of percussion, guitar and horns added on the latter. The track I Want You has a refined funky groove to it (a little like Lois Lane), and it is not hard to imagine yourself in a nightclub listening to it. Till the guitar solo kicks in, taking the song to a whole other level, without destroying that groove by the way.
The band released several albums after this one, but I am not sure they still exist. Worth picking up, if you can find it.
