Manraze is the super group consisting of the Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook, Def Leppard’s guitarist Phil Collen and Girl’s bass player Simon Laffy. The band has been kicking it around the last few years but have now taken time to release a new album featuring 11 new tunes and one killer Jimi Hendrix remake.

Collen shines with Manraze, playing and singing like a talented musician hitting the big time for the first time. The energy he puts into this music makes one shake their head, as this man in his 50’s and still rocks like a 22 year old! His vocals are simply superb, his guitar playing, and songwriting, diverse and his attitude fitting for anyone who would be in a band with a member of the Sex Pistols.

The name of the album totally describes the experience that is in store for the listener. At times this rocks, at time is funky and punky and at other times sounds as if the band want to hang out with the Police – the band, not the uniformed peace keepers.

“Over My Dead Body” is a rocker that shows that age is in the mind of the person when it comes to rock music. This is fresh, hard rock that is not afraid to throw in some old school guitar solos. “All I Wanna Do” should be the single off this album as it has a wide audience appeal. “Dreamland” is a great example of all of the band’s musical influences melding into one song, which makes it very special and unique. The Jimi Hendrix tune, “Fire” is one of the high spots on the album. The old tune is given fresh life as Collen gives this sucker an awesome guitar sound and the solo is outta this world.

At the end of the day, PunkFunkRootsRock is a much more cohesive album than their debut, which demonstrates that Manraze is a band continuing to experiment and grow.