The Flaming Mudcats – ‘Til The Money’s All Gone
Mudcat Music
11 tracks
The Flaming Mudcats almost literally arrived on my doorstep in 2013. Here in the States on tour from their native New Zealand, the boys convinced me (before they left home) to add them to our new festival at the Rockford Aviator’s Baseball Stadium. How they convinced me was by sending me a superb CD to listen to. I was floored and we changed the plan; we opened the day early and added them to the bill. Things went so well that we also invited them to play our festival at Lyran Park in rockford a few years later. These guy are the real deal.
Craig Bracken is on vocals, backing vocals, harmonica, and tenor sax. Doug Bygrave plays guitars and sings backing vocals. On keys is Liam Ryan (piano, Hammond organ, keyboards and backing vocals}. Pete Parnham plaus electric bass and upright bass and also in on backing vocals Drummer Ian Thomson also provides backing vocals
“‘Til The Money’s All Gone” is a swinging and bouncy number about a guy willing to spend it all on his woman until it’s all gone. Loyal and loving devotion emptying his bank account. A slick sax and then piano solo are fun and add to the jazzy feel, and then a nice, rining guitar solo sweetens the pot. Next is “Get On Down” where there is a cool groove laid down on organ with support of the backline. There’s some funky stuff going on here as the organ is featured front and center. The guitar also adds to the mix in a slick little number. “Gimme Half a Chance” follows, a song of asking for his girl to cut him a break as the tile says. Up next is “Good News,” another swinging track with a very tasteful guitar solo and later piano and then harp solo.
“Waiting For The River To Fall” brings back the funk in a solemn cut with solid guitar and smooth vocals. A sweet harp solo adds to the ambience as the song tells us they have to wait for the flood waters to recede. “I Shoulda Told You That” has a Bo Diddley thing going on nd the overall sound kinda reminds me of Johnny Otis. Featuring another nice piano solo and some cool organ and guitar work, it’s a fun number. “Long Haul” opens with a big, rocking guitar intro as the vocals tell us of long term relational commitment. The organ lays out some more fine R&B and some later guitar soloing also helps set the tone.
Rocking jump blues are the order of the day with “Writing’s On The Wall.” The guitar eings, the organ howls, the harp growls in a very fine tune. More swinging stuff is dealt up in “Things Ain’t What They Seem” as the harp and piano get to give us a great boogie to savor. The temp gets turned down for “Satan’s Grip,” a somber rhumba with gritty harp and vocals. The chromatic gives us something to delight in as the band does a super job on this darker piece. The album concludes with “Smoke And Mirrors” and continues in the swinging fun. This is a slow to mid tempo piece where the woman in the song is not dealing her cards straight up. The piano work is well done and the guitar is equally up to the task as the song just flows ever so sweetly along. The chromatic harp takes us home as the song winds the album down. Well done!
Brackens’ vocals are tight. The band demonstrates great musicianship throughout. These guys can play, which is not news. Their fifth album adds to their fine track record. Eleven new tunes mixing the sounds of West Coast, Chicago, Texas and America’s South give the listener a fun ride to experience. Available only on Spotify, this is a great album for their fans new and old to enjoy. The boys from Auckland, NZ, have delivered another winner!
