Reviews of Psychedelic State of Mind (STR720)

This review appeared in Concerto magazine, #1, 2023. Translated from the German.

ThunderBünny is the creation of 2-time Grammy winner Michael Saint-Leon, vocals, guitar, with the support of some top-class musicians. The music is blues rock with a touch of psychedelia. The track number features Bobby Ogdin, keys and Kenny Wright, didgeridoo, among others. Kevin McKendree takes on the keys on "Don't Lose That Groove" and John Heinrich contributes the sax. “AnnieMolly” takes us on a journey across the States, and “Keep Your Fingers Crossed” takes us to New Orleans. This disc is completely unusual and cannot be classified anywhere, but still an extraordinary listening experience that you could definitely treat yourself to.

The following review by Norbert von Fransecky appears on the website Musik an Sich, here. Translated below from the German.

Rated 17 out of 20: Highly Recommended

ThunderBünny almost hit the nail on the head with the album title Psychedelic State of Mind. "Psychedlic State of Blues" would have been even more fitting.

 Just listen to the totally inappropriately titled "Sleeping Pill." It sounds as if ZZ Top landed in the San Francisco of the drug-ridden 1960s/70s. Last but not least, the harmonica, which is not mentioned in the cast list, creates a great atmosphere. Also with "AnnieMolly" I hear noises that I can actually only explain as coming from an organ, which again does not appear in the list.

 The colorful artwork fits in well with the colorful bouquet of intoxicating tracks that ThunderBünny present to us for a little over half an hour. Unlike many "pure" psychedelic bands, the troop never drifts into compositional nirvana, which can only be enjoyed while intoxicated with drugs. All pieces get to the point, have structure and are imaginatively designed.

 Sometimes it's cool and smooth (“Mojave Frame of Mind”), sometimes a great rhythmic player adorns himself with a great chorus (“Antioch Stomp”). Entering frontier areas such as progressive pop (“AnnieMolly”) or a psychedelic West Coast (“Psychedelic State of Mind”) is not forbidden either.

 ThunderBünny are complemented by a number of guest musicians who are not expressly mentioned in the booklet, who always put a special stamp on the pieces. In "Don't Lose that Groove" it's John Heinrich on saxophone and Kevin McKendree on hammer piano who are responsible for the special moments.

This review appeared in RockTimes, 14 February 2023. Translated from the German.

Ooh, fancy a fine dose of blues rock with a strong psychedelic touch again? In any case, ThunderBünny are the baby of the American musician Michael Saint-Leon, who was previously known primarily as a much sought-after studio worker as a sound engineer, mixing or mastering discs and has even been able to win two Grammys for this. So now the project (or even the band?) ThunderBünny with Saint-Leon as frontman on guitar and vocals, and drummer Paul Snyder and bassist Kit Dennis also seem to be permanently installed in the combo. For the debut "Psychedelic State of Mind," however, there were still a lot of guest musicians on board, which suggests that the band only really crystallized towards the end of the recordings.

The title track opens the dance very melodically with a few effects on the instruments and finally also on the voice of the band leader; the whole thing is rounded off by a few passages with a string instrument that sounds like a sitar. Okay, the scent mark is already set. "Driving to Tecopa" relies on the same musical ingredients and the listener slowly feels transported back to the late sixties as if by a time machine. Cool thing, even if the alienated vocals don't really want to flow into the synapses of pleasure in the reviewer. As first revealed on "Sleeping Pill," the author of these tracks isn't exactly a disdain for calming and stimulating substances, which he doesn't even try to hide on this number with its “heavy” rolling groove and harmonica solo. Aside from two co-composers on "Keep Your Fingers Crossed," all tracks are credited to Michael Saint-Leon.

Definitely the strongest song on "Psychedelic State of Mind" is the concluding and already mentioned "Keep Your Fingers Crossed," which scores in the very cool Little Feat style. The piece is introduced in a very relaxed and fluffy manner by a cool drum groove, before the rest of the instruments join in and Saint-Leon overlays his vocals. And by the way, a small pinch of (early) Molly Hatchet is thrown in during the chorus. Sound strange? Maybe, but it works and the track would be great as a single. Before that, the protagonist reports on "Mojave Frame of Mind" to blues-rock tones again about his preferred type of relaxation, which is sung about again by an e-piano in a psychedelic atmosphere. On the other hand, "AnnieMolly (Where You Gonna Go Now)" rocks straight forward, where the vocals finally come clean, which would have suited many of the other tracks better.

There is a small point deduction for the fact that the disc is quite short at a good 35 minutes. However, the songs on it are quite convincing, even if the record doesn't necessarily have what it takes to become a classic. Nevertheless, the end result is positive and if you want to get a little impression of Thunderbünny's "Psychedelic State Of Mind," I would recommend the highlight "Keep Your Fingers Crossed," the title track (whose vocal melody shows parallels to Little Feat for the first time), the aforementioned “AnnieMolly (Where You Gonna Go Now)” and “Don't Lose That Groove.”

—Markus Kerren

The following review appeared in the February 2023 issue of Eclipsed, translated here from the German.

Related to: ZZ Top; Tom Petty; JJ Cale
[seven out of ten stars]

ThunderBünny is the baby of US guitarist and sound engineer Michael Saint-Leon. The cover is meaningful: in psychedelic colors, it apparently shows someone mega-stoned, and LSD building blocks pass in front of his (bespectacled) mental eye. The driving title track and "AnnieMolly (Where You Gonna Go Now)" have a lot of the Tom Petty era and Jeff Lynne influences, while the Byrds-like guitars add flair. The Texas-infused blues rock of “Driving to Tecopa” and “Sleeping Pill” is reminiscent of ZZ Top if you leave out the megaphone voice, even if it comes out with psychedelic sound streaks or a harmonica exuding a rustic feeling. "Don't Lose That Groove" adds a wacky sax and a pounding bar piano. "Mickey Finn" is the best rolling blues rock material, making one automatically tap head and feet. The cool electric piano grooves on "Mojave Frame of Mind," and "Keep Your Fingers Crossed" certainly sounds fantastic live. Everything is very coherent, only the psychedelic influences and a didgeridoo, which almost disappears in the mix, could be formulated more clearly with regard to the album title.

A review from InHard magazine, March/April 2023, translated from the German. It was awarded 4 out of 5 stars.

ThunderBünny is the name of the band project by American singer and guitarist Michael Saint-Leon, which essentially consists of bassist Kit Dennis and drummer Paul Snyder. There are also a number of guest musicians with a wide range of instruments (e.g. slide guitar, didgeridoo, saxophone). The result is a hallucinogenic mix of blues rock and psychedelic rock, spiced up with Saint-Leon's cool vocals. Checkout the swampy blues "Sleeping Pill" blues and the swamp rocker "Keep Your Fingers Crossed," reminiscent of Little Feat in their prime. Insider tip!

—Tim Beldow

A review from Tam.Tam, Das Stadtmagazin, March 2023, translated from the German:

ThunderBünny is the musical group created by two-time Grammy winner Michael Saint-Leon. With this, he digs deep into classic blues rock, throwing in a lot of psychedelic tones while singing about bad love or a trippin’ journey across America. ThunderBünny captures wild America, passes it on with hot and dirty music and provides memorable licks. All sounds are reminiscent of days of freedom, forbidden substances, and earlier times when tubes cracked and records crackled.

A review from Empire 149, translated from the German:

Behind the pseudonym ThunderBünny is the two-time Grammy winner and blues rocker Michael Saint-Leon. The album title and the cover make a pretty wild impression, but in the end Michael Saint-Leon and his combo play very earthy, dust-dry blues, which is enriched with some psychedelic elements. Blues fans will have fun with this cleanly produced disc.

A review from Saitenkult, January 2023, translated here from the German:

The colors flicker, they rotate so much that even the glasses can no longer believe such a joy of color. Michael Saint-Leon and his buddies have recorded such a garish psychedelic trip that this trip of acid rock, blues rock and hard rock, just rock and stoner is hard to grasp. The band from Tennessee has therefore given itself the funny name THUNDERBÜNNY and someone claims that they sound like ZZ TOP without beard on acid. Smell and taste included. Delicious.

—Michael Haifl 

The following review is from Jolly Joker’s Ohrenbalsam, 30 December 2022. Translated here from the German.

THUNDERBÜNNY is the creation of two-time Grammy winner Michael Saint-Leon. The music is classic blues rock with a pinch of psychedelia. On February 3rd, 2023 the THUNDERBÜNNY CD "Psychedelic State of Mind" will be released. The CD offers 9 tracks that sound like ZZ TOP on Acid. The core of THUNDERBÜNNY are Saint-Leon (guitar, vocals), Kit Dennis (bass) and Paul Snyder (drums), plus a large number of guest musicians. The CD is not just a long journey into the desert. Consider the vision and bask in the sounds. Some listeners will be disturbed.