Mudcrutch

This album, for me, is a musical breath of fresh air. Great musicians doing what they love and loving what they do.

TP has always been one of my faves. 'Wildflowers' is one of my top five. He's definitely one of the best live acts I've seen and his radio show on XM is a riot.

If you like The Wilburys, you'll love this disc.

Enjoy!

Years ago, on a trip down to the Deep South, an elderly Southern gentleman commented to my grandmother that "The South never forgets." That remark came back to me as I was listening to MUDCRUTCH, the debut effort from Tom Petty's pre-Heartbreakers band. Was Petty remembering (and, perhaps, yearning) for his earlier, pre-stardom days when he put this project together? And if so, is it really wise to try and recapture the past? MUDCRUTCH, a mixed bag of hits and misses, only partially succeeds in answering these questions. Things kick off with the infectious twang of "Shady Grove." Petty and co-lead guitarist Tom Leadon share an easy-going lead vocal, while the band provides an arrangement that is spirited and crisp. A great way to start things off! Ditto "Scare Easy", a classic Petty song that could easily have fit on any Heartbreakers album between '79-'92. From the tight instrumentation to the snarling lead vocal, this is a Petty gem from top to bottom. Toss in great lyrics ("I got a soul that ain't never been blessed/Yeah, I'm a shadow at the back of the hall/Yeah, I got a sin I ain't never confessed") and you have a true winner! "Orphan Of The Storm" lopes along nicely enough, but upon repeated listens there's an almost fake feeling to the track, like the band's trying to force a square musical peg into a round musical hole. Much more relaxed and enjoyable is "Six Days On The Road." This is a jam, pure and simple, but it never seems forced or over the top. It's also on this cut that the true star of MUDCRUTCH first emerges...keyboard player Benmont Tench. In all his years as a Heartbreaker, Tench has never been looser or more on fire, providing runs and fills that both dazzle and enhance. Sadly, things come to crashing halt with the bloated, overlong "Crystal River." The days of nine minute arena jams are SO long gone, and what could have been a gentle four-to-five minute ballad gets blown into something yawn-inducing (Once again, though, Tench shines). The disc's only real misstep. There's a sweet story/song to "Oh Maria", a cut that would have fit nicely on Petty's last solo disc, 2006's atmospheric HIGHWAY COMPANION. His plaintive lead vocal wraps around the lyrics ("Oh Maria/Whiskey and rye/Walking up the stairs/With a man twice your size") in a way that is equal parts heart-breaking and resigned. Lovely. And then there's "This Is A Good Street", with lead vocal by Mr. Tench. Funky, edgy and fun, this tale of lost love could have gone on for at least two more minutes as far as I'm concerned...it's that cool! Tench has had his songs covered by the likes of Stevie Nicks, Rosanne Cash and Lone Justice, and "This Is A Good Street" shows why....he's an incredibly gifted, albeit underrated, songwriter. There's a snakey vibe to "The Wrong Thing To Do" that is just captivating. The instrumentation is gutsy, without being overpowering, while Petty's lead vocal is equal parts mysterious and dangerous (I love how he drags out the word "care" in the chorus!). Toss in some killer lyrics ("Well, she was blonde and tall/She was twenty-three/Born into the world to get the best of me/And she never paid back/Half what she stole/SHe wanted my money/So I gave her my soul") and you have one of MUDCRUTCH's best cuts. The same can't be said about "Queen Of The Go-Go Girls." In the tradition of Ringo, Keith, Dave Davies and Jane Weidlin, Tom Leadon steps in for a lead vocal that is, at it's best, weak, at it's worst...well, you get the picture. "June Apple" is a slice of Southern rock, and while an instrumental is a nice way to break things up, this one seems dated and out of place. Much like "Crystal River", it almost feels as if the genre's time has come...and gone. It's at this point that MUDCRUTCH really starts to get bogged down. "Lover Of The Bayou" is nice enough, with some great guitar work from Leadon and Mike Campbell, and gorgeous underlying keyboard runs courtesy of Tench, but by song's end this really seems to be nothing more than an outtake from HIGHWAY COMPANION. "Topanga Cowgirl" has a nice bounce to it, with spirited instrumentation and a tight arrangement, but the song is so light as to be inconsequential. It almost seems like a studio jam that made it onto the disc to meet a certain time/length requirement. The same can be said about "Bootleg Flyer." There's a lot of energy here, but there's also a "been there, done that" feel as well, which is something you don't ever expect from Tom Petty. Once again, great playing, but a less than stellar song. Things end on a stronger note with "House Of Stone." This country shuffle boasts understated (but sharp) instrumentation, an easy-going lead vocal and great lyrics ("Got a brand new suit/I got two pair of pants/Easy on the eyes/And I love to dance/I could dance right now/If you give me the chance"). So....my Five Final Thoughts on Mudcrutch and MUDCRUTCH...1) It may just be time for Benmont Tench to record that long-threatened solo album (BENMONT'S REVENGE, anyone?!?)..2) Who knew Tom Petty was such a great bassist??..3) Would this album have gotten made if it wasn't Petty's old band? I'm not so sure...4) Would I automatically buy another album from the band? Ummmmm....probably. And....5) Are there some things the South...and old rockers!...should forget? Nah, that's part of both their charms!! (As with all my reviews, I'm docking the disc half a star for not including the lyrics).

Having been a long time follower of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, I was excited about the release of this album, mainly for nostalgic reasons. And then something curious happened... the day before the release, I lost the excitement. You see, I'm among the few Petty fans that feel his latter work blows away his more commercially aimed music of the seventies and eighties. That's right, I'll take Echo over Damn the Torpedos. There. I said it.

To me, Petty's lyrics have improved with time, and the quality of production has been much more interesting in the past 10-15 years. Because I hold this opinion, I began to fear Mudcrutch would be a throwback to his seventies style of music. But much to the contrary, Mudcrutch DOES NOT sound like mudcrutch from the seventies, but rather like a band of sometimes rowdy, sometimes bluesy, experienced rockers from the swamps of Florida. And that they are.

Bootleg Flyer and Lover of the Bayou seep and bleed with raunchy southern stomp and swagger, while Crystal River is a luscious, delightful trip on a lazy summer day. Ledon and Cambell play off each other like they've been doing this together for years. The album is full of unexpected gems like Ledon's "Queen of the go-go girls" and Tench's "This is a good street". Perhaps most impressive is the bands hoppy rendition of June Apple, delivered with an Allman-esqe style held up by the delightful shuffle of Marsh's Snare. All five musicians shine on this album, but none more than Petty whose sneering vocal on "Scare Easy" is filled with more attitude than anything he's done since "Honey Bee".

I bought the album worried I might be disappointed. Now, as I listen to it for the 100,000th time, I'm worried they won't make another one. This is album of the year for me, and I hope and pray they release another. It would also be really nice to see them play here in Georgia...

The bottom line: This is an EXCELLENT album chock full of roots-based, Americana rock and roll.

Tom Petty, Tom Leadon and Benmont Tench trade of lead vocals on various songs, which keeps the setlist interesting.

Mudcrutch, the album, is a breath of fresh air in the midst of today's modern fluff, commonly misconstrued as music.

Any true Tom Petty fan will absolutely love what they hear on this recording. Everything I could ask and more. Tom and his buddies of Mudcrutch prove that the "Powers That Be" did'nt know any more back then, about what a great album should sound like than they do now.