Fat Mattress - Fat Mattress 2 (CD)

All Music Guide

In the manner of many second albums, Fat Mattress' sophomore outing was similar to, but also inferior to, their debut. Again, Noel Redding didn't take as much as a leadership role as some listeners might have expected given his prior stardom as bassist in the Jimi Hendrix Experience. In fact, he's less of a presence on this record, at least as a composer, his contributions in that regard limited to three songwriting cocredits. And again, the mood is breezy folkrockpsychedelia with a dash of early progressive rock, though some of the songs on side one in particular have a heavier feel than most of the first album. The songs aren't even up to the debut's modest standard, however, and the lingering feeling is that of a tolerable but fairly anonymous '60sturninginto'70s band with a Transatlantic feel. There's a bit of jazzy influence a la Traffic in songs like "Roamin'" and "At the Ball," and there are some pleasant vocal harmonies. But there's not a single standout tune, and though Reddin...g and his bandmates were no doubt straining to avoid being the answer to a trivia question as to what one of the members had done after playing in one of the world's biggest groups, that's what this music ends up being. - Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide Read more Less