Nashville's embrace of twangy pop acts that keep a governor on the country side of the equation ought to be a boon for blues-rockers like A Bolt from the Blue, it kicks up the most dust on up-tempo tunes that give lead singer Laura England and the band's two guitarists a chance to display some carefully modulated aggression.
"Derailed" may have been crafted for the barroom, as it nails that steady rolling 4/4 beat that's guaranteed to fill the floor at local taverns and dance halls. But the North Carolina-bred England's potent expression of romantic infatuation and an oily curlicue of a slide guitar hook pull Mud Angels to the very border of pop-country territory. Pump up the Southern-rock factor with a dobro break and few more dirty guitar tracks, and country ingenue Miranda Lambert could slip it directly into her set list without anyone raising an eyebrow.
Even in its current form, "Derailed" is exactly the sort of contemporary blues tune that's apt to catch the ears of folks who never knew they were blues fans.
An MP3 of the track are available in the related downloads at right. More music by the MAMAs-nominated band can be found on its MySpace page. Mud Angels is playing a CD release party for A Bolt from the Blue at the Harmony Bar & Grill on Friday, February 29. The band will also be playing at Emigail's Roadhouse in Edgerton on Saturday, March 11, and will return to the Harmony on Friday, April 11.
MadTracks highlights and provides MP3s of songs performed by local musicians. All tracks here are provided with permission of the artist. If you are a musician based in the Madison metro area and are interested in sharing your work as a MadTrack, please send a message.
