East Nashville blues-soaked rock ‘n’ roll
Oh rock ‘n’ roll, where have you been? Where have your pounding bass lines, screaming saxophones, scorching guitars and wild-eyed vocals been hiding? The Blackfoot Gypsies make the case for East Nashville, as their third album marries together the roots-rock swagger of the Black Crowes, the grit of the early-70s Stones, the West Coast country of the Byrds and Burritos, and the wildness of 1960s garage rock. In addition to reminding you of the Crowes’ Chris Robinson, Matthew Paige might remind you of Steve Marriott, Ian Hunter or Willie Nile, and the band draws on each of these singers’ groups without landing squarely on any one.
The guitars that open the album echo the Kinks “I Need You,†accompanied in the front seat by the rhythm section, Paige’s howling vocal and Ollie Dogg’s wailing harmonica. There’s barely a breath before Dylan Whitlow’s driving bass and Paul Thacker’s urgent sax push “Everybody’s Watching†into the red. Paige and drummer Zack Murphy lock into their shared roots as the founding two piece Murphy describes as “everything in the extreme.†Even when dialed down, the folk-country “Potatoes and Whiskey†and country-blues “Velvet Low Down Blues†are still edgy.
There’s a twist of soul on “Everybody’s Watching,†second-line roll on “Back to New Orleans,†Jan & Dean-styled backing vocals on “Promise to Keep†and a Bo Diddley beat on “Gypsy Queen.†The rootsy “Woman Woman†suggests the Band, and the hard blues of “I’ve Got the Blues†echoes Led Zeppelin in acoustic mode. There’s longing, loneliness, drinking and mean, mistreating women, but more in a blues vein than country, and “I Wanna Be Famous†thrashes out a swipe at those famous for being famous. At 62 minutes, the album’s intensity can get a bit exhausting, but there’s no doubting the band’s talent and groove. [©2017 Hyperbolium] 