Mudcrutch – 2 (2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/48 kHz | Time – 43:15 minutes | 519 MB | Genre: Rock
Studio Master, Official Digital Download – Source: livedownloads.com | Front Cover | © Reprise Records
2 is Mudcrutch’s second album released by Reprise Records. The album is the follow-up to the band’s 2008 eponymous debut which Rolling Stone called “a country-rock instant classic” in a rave four star review. The new album is produced by band members Tom Petty and Mike Campbell with Ryan Ulyate. All members of Mudcrutch contribute songs on their new album 2. The album includes seven originals written by Tom Petty, with band members Mike Campbell, Tom Leadon, Randall Marsh and Benmont Tench composing one each.
Mudcrutch was initially formed in 1970 in Gainesville, Florida and is the precursor to the legendary Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Tom Petty (bass/vocals), Tom Leadon (guitar/vocals), Benmont Tench (keyboards/vocals), Mike Campbell (guitar/vocals), and Randall Marsh (drums/vocals) make up the band’s current line-up. In 1974, Mudcrutch was signed to Shelter Records and moved to Los Angeles where they released one single, “Depot Street”, to very little fanfare. The band broke up in 1975 and could have settled for being a legend, but instead Mudcrutch rose from the ashes in 2008 to remind us that the golden age of rock and roll bands still had a few treasures to unearth. Their debut, made some thirty-three years later, was an unexpected hit.
Tom Petty reunited his original Gainesville band Mudcrutch for a lark in 2008. Their eponymous album and short accompanying tour didn’t carry the feeling of unfinished business so much as a good-natured ramble through the past. Some old originals were excavated, new songs written, and old favorites covered, all wrapped up in a charmingly ragged little record that gave Petty a bit of a creative jolt. Afterward, he led the Heartbreakers through excursions in blues and garage rock, but that relaxed country-rock vibe proved irresistible, so he reconvened Mudcrutch for a second record in 2016. Titled 2, this second Mudcrutch LP isn’t quite a straight sequel. Any of the loose ends left hanging from 2008 have been tied: 2 is streamlined and tight, the cover songs excised in favor of brand-new compositions from every member of Mudcrutch. Just because all five musicians contribute at least one song, that doesn’t necessarily make Mudcrutch a democracy. Petty remains the quintet’s undisputed leader, writing seven of the 11 songs and setting the tone for 2, emphasizing a thick, swampy guitar grind that nevertheless finds space for the country breeze of Tom Leadon’s “The Other Side of the Mountain,” Randall Marsh’s AM ’70s throwback “Beautiful World,” Benmont Tench’s retro-boogie “Welcome to Hell,” and Mike Campbell’s garage raver “Victim of Circumstance.” All of these provide grace notes to a strong set of Petty originals that range from heartbroken ballads (“Beautiful Blue”) and psychedelic stompers (“Hope”) to Byrdsian jangle (“Save Your Water”) and a revival of “Trailer,” a Southern Accents outtake given a nice sludgy rendition illustrating that the main charm of Mudcrutch is their casualness. Nobody here is attempting a major statement; they’re simply laying back and tossing off songs, but 2 is executed with precision, which is what keeps it crackling. It’s a good-time record, but one intended to showcase how Mudcrutch hit harder and dig a bit deeper than they initially seemed to do. –AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist:
1. Trailer 03:17
2. Dreams of Flying 03:59
3. Beautiful Blue 06:37
4. Beautiful World 03:08
5. I Forgive It All 04:14
6. The Other Side of the Mountain 03:17
7. Hope 03:11
8. Welcome to Hell 03:30
9. Save Your Water 03:12
10. Victim of Circumstance 02:37
11. Hungry No More 06:13
Personnel:
Tom Petty, lead & backing vocals, bass guitar
Mike Campbell, lead guitar
Tom Leadon, rhythm guitar, backing & lead vocals
Benmont Tench, keyboards, backing & lead vocals
Randall Marsh, drums
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