http://www.muddyrootrecords.com
Full of authentic sounding instrumental work, cheerful infectious lyrics and all-round snap, crackle and pop to the music Woody (guitars, harmonica, toy piano, drums) and band members Brad Tucker (acoustic, National resophonic guitar, vocals) Skip Frontz (upright bass) plus extras; Billy Contreras (fiddle), Mitch Dane (piano) and Dustin Ransom (piano, electric autoharp) provide a sound steeped in simple, spare old ways akin to the days of 1940s and hillbilly boogie, country blues and and Sun Records even. Only more diverse still as western swing, mountain music and in the case of “Little Stella Blue” Woody reminds me of the late Steve Goodman with his painstaking presentation. Laced in a beautiful gentle shuffling rhythm, wistful playing and general warm feel his off the cuff innovative lyrics are not only worthy of a mention in the same sentence of Goodman’s but alongside his finest recordings. It is a good one all right, a real jewel.
Songs about drinking whisky, juke-joints, bootleggers, trains and keeping one’s skillet cooked and greasy (Mississippi Sheiks’ “Make It To The Woods”) women, and with them making mention of East Nashville and Nashville in general you have the superb Dancefloor delight “New Nashville Boogie” and of a shuffling rhythm “Another For Love”, and with guitars and upright bass bending back strings “Junco Partner” is good enough to be termed as the album’s title track as hints of BR5-49 readily come to mind.
You also have a cool cover of Irving Berlin’s “Walking Stick”, and with harmonica wafting in the background caring ballad “Over The Water” (Woods, Hatfield) plus dark, moody back water ballad “Delta Bound” (Alex Hill) and with a frisky swing boogie raging “Black Rat Swing” before bowing out with another Woody, Hatfield original “Worth The Game” as Woody veers towards folk balladeer, another ‘Woody' in the one and only Woody Guthrie!
Maurice Hope