PopSyndicate.com

Out on the highway, the perfect place for the Mississippi Mudsharks’ new album Train Rolls On, I push past the other cars. My old Buick swings from lane to lane on a hot summer night. Right now with the Mudsharks on the stereo you could say, “I’m desperate and dangerous and I don’t care if I die.”

You might not be a badass like me but after a few chords of the opening/title track of Train Rolls On you’ll feel like one.  As the title suggests, there’s no let up on this hard driving album.

The Mississippi Mudsharks, led by Scottie “Mad Dog” Blinn, are a legendary blues band from San Diego. Like a lot of groups, they took off and burned out in the mid-90’s. Train Rolls On, along with an upcoming European tour, marks their return. That’s great news for those of you who love the blues.

They’ve been described as “Grease Punk,” which mixes traditional blues and country with a raw attitude. A punk mentality does inform most of the songs on a Train Rolls On, but the styles are varied, ranging from blues to traditional country and even hinting at surf guitar. You’ve got the delta swampy sound of “Hangin’ Tree,” the slow painful blues of “Can’t Put Down the Drink,” the driving beat of “Lakeside Redneck Shindig,” and the western fable “Devil’s Road” all on one disc. Then comes a song like the feedback tinged “Zombie Whip” which, with its darkly off beat lyrics, would fit in a Quentin Tarantino film.

The Mudsharks do come at you fast and from all kinds of directions but they really are a traditional, hard hitting blues band. It’s dirty music in all the best ways. There’s no faking it. They’re a band that’s actually been on the “lonely roads” and in the “smokey saloons” they sing about.

Blinn’s harsh vocals would be at home in any super cool/dangerous local bar. Nevermind that his nickname is Mad Dog, he’s got the kind of voice that’d make you question whether or not you should be hanging out inside a place he’d play in.  Blinn sounds like a mix of Howlin’ Wolf, Tom Waits, and Chuck Berry. The rest of the band are rock solid, laying down track after track of grimy blues. You can tell they mean it.

Train Rolls On, put out by the independent label Double Barrel Records, delivers the goods. Buy this album. Open yourself up to a great band you’ve probably never heard before. Impress your friends. Get down and dirty.

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