Landslide Records artist: Webb Wilder - Mississippi Moderne - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Mississippi Moderne, from Webb Wilder and it's super! Opening with a short intro, Stones In My Pathway, is a super heavy, swampy, bluesy track. If this was recorded in the early times of Son House or Lightnin' it would still sound gritty and super honest. Excellent! Rough and Tumble Guy is up next, a boogie woogie rocker with a great rhythm track. Wilder takes the lead on some rowdy guitar backed by Jimmy Lester on drums, Tom Comet rompin the bass and Bob Williams on guitar. Excellent! If It Ain't Broke, (Don't Fix It) has a much more rural and laid back feel but with just a touch of funk...boogie if you will. Backing vocals by the McCrary Sisters, Williams and Comet give it a homey feel but Wilder's vocals keep it edgy. Very nice! Only A Fool has a euro pop sound with an easy hook. Not the voice but the style, think the kinks, Todd or E. Costello. The Kinks, I Gotta Move, maintains a real 60's rock sound but with a separate signature from the original. This is a quick paced rocker with wicked guitar rock and a straight ahead drumming. Too Much Sugar For A Nickel is a great pop rocker. If I just heard the track out of context and was asked who wrote it I'd Guess Frank Black...or is that Black Francis (Or Ray and Dave). In any case, I really like it. Very nice with clever guitar riffs surrounding a slick hook and a tight execution. Conway Twitty's Lonely Blue Boy is a super low slung blues rocker. Pushed with it's country honesty, and low keys but really nicely styled guitar riffs, this track is over the top. Mississippi garage band, The One Way Street penned, Yard Dog see's plenty of daylight here with solid delivery, raggedy vocals and tight drumming. Very smart! I'm Not Just Anybody's Fool is really a nice ballad. A strong melody, Micah Hulscher lays out warm organ backing and a melodic guitar work makes this one of the strongest statements on the release. Very nice! Otis Rush's It Takes Time, has a super walking bass line but uptempo from Rush's original. With an almost jazz feel, it has new life in it's sail. You've been waiting for me to say, and he cut's the guitar loose and here it is. Wilder doesn't go nuts but he does play some really crisp, Otis Rush/Peter Green inspired and nicely executed riffs. Super! Frankie Lee Sims' Lucy Mae Blues has a primitive feel but with some more modern sounds creating a eerie tension. Wilder's vocals in echo with basic jangly blues guitar riffs, hi hat and tamborine and snare make this stripped down blues rocker special! Charlie Rich's Who Will The Next Fool Be has an easy country swing feel. Wilder's vocals morph from track to track and continuously surprise me. In this case, rich not thin but an almost Willie Nelson feel. A super nice groove with Hulscher on piano and organ and cal and response guitar work compliments the vocal lead making it one of my favorites on the release. Jimmy Reed's I'm Gonna Get My Baby has a solid boogie feel with Bob Williams adding some slick slide work over a nice rhythm guitar and bass line from George Bradfute. Super groove. Wrapping the release is the return to the beginning and a full blown Stones In My Pathway. This is a powerful recording eliciting the gritty nature of original early blues musicians. It is an excellent conclusion to a strong release of blues based music.

   

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Webb Wilder IS "Mississippi Moderne" on New CD Coming September 25 from Landslide Records

Webb Wilder IS Mississippi Moderne on New CD Coming September 25 from Landslide Records

NASHVILLE, TN - Landslide Records is proud to announce a September 25th release date for Mississippi Moderne, the all new album from veteran roots rocker, Webb Wilder. A 2011 inductee into the Mississippi Musicians Hall Of Fame, Wilder has crafted a lively recording that pays homage to his home state through a striking set of originals, coupled with distinctive cover renditions that stretch from tunes by the Kinks to Charlie Rich and Jimmy Reed. Given superb backing from his highly accomplished and longtime bandmates, the Beatnecks (Tom Comet, bass, Bob Williams, guitar, and Jimmy Lester, drums), Mississippi Moderne captures the full flavor of Wilder’s raucous style, based on his singular baritone vocal delivery, solid guitar, a tight, punchy rhythmic foundation and some surprising touches of the heart added in as well.

Tracked at Studio 19 (originally Scotty Moore’s Music City Recorders) in Nashville and produced by Wilder, Tom Comet, Bob Williams and Joe McMahan, Mississippi Moderne represents the first new Webb Wilder album since 2009, and it shows that the man has, without question, furthered his charismatic singing style while maintaining a strong group of musicians who are well-schooled in cranking out Wilder’s unique brand of energized rock and roll music. The package also showcases Wilder’s compelling ability to write catchy melodies and lyrics, either on his own or with notable co-writers Dan Penn, John Hadley and Patrick Sweany. 

The Hattiesburg, Mississippi, native first hit nationally in 1986 with the now iconic classic, It Came from Nashville, and ever since he has confounded a slew of fans and critics attempting to define and categorize his style. As 20th Century Guitar Magazine noted, Wilder is “a master at scrambling the sounds, songs and threads of country, blues, British rock, rockabilly, and the freedom and emotion of soul music.”  Wilder has always described his sound as simply “a roots band for rock fans and a rock band for roots fans.  On Mississippi Moderne, we’ve kept some of our trademark craziness, but there’s also a lot of roots solidity and some balladry to boot.” 

To celebrate Mississippi Moderne, Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks will appear in Nashville on September 25th for a CD release party at the Basement East. On September 30 in Franklin, Tennessee, Webb will perform as part of a Music City Roots Benefit Concert for Tommy Womack that also includes Jason & the Scorchers, Todd Snider and Will Kimbrough & Friends at the Factory (www.musiccityroots.com). And on September 28 at 7:00 PM Central Time, Webb will be the featured interview guest on the Roots Radio Hour, streaming live on the Music City Roots app and WHPY 94.5 Hippie Radio (www.hippieradio945.com).

In addition, a full slate of bookings in the United States and overseas will follow that feature Webb Wilder in both a solo setting (including shows as special guest for Dave & Phil Alvin) as well as full-out band shows with the dynamic Beatnecks.

For more information, visit www.landsliderecords.com  and www.webbwilder.com.

                            

Webb Wilder Tour Dates

Saturday, 8/29: Woodhouse Concerts, St. Louis MO (full band)
Sunday, 8/30: Lafayette's Music Room, Memphis TN (full band)
Friday, 9/25: The Basement East, Nashville TN (full band)
Tuesday, 9/29: Cypress Moon Studios, Sheffield AL (full band)
Saturday, 10/3: Public Theatre of Kentucky, Bowling Green KY (full band)
Thursday, 10/8: Thacker Mountain Radio, Oxford MS (solo)
Friday, 10/9: Proud Larry's, Oxford MS (full band)
Saturday, 10/17: Log House Concerts, Edwardsville IL (solo)
Friday, 10/23: Straight To Ale, Huntsville AL (solo)
Wednesday, 10/28: Gene's Beer Garden, Morgantown WV (solo, free)
Thursday, 10/29: World Cafe Live, Philadelphia PA (solo) *
Friday, 10/30: Ram's Head Tavern, Annapolis MD (solo) *
Saturday, 10/31: The Birchmere, Alexandria VA (solo) *
Saturday, 11/14: Exit / In, Nashville TN, WEBB FEST TEN! (full band)
Saturday, 11/21: Knuckleheads, Kansas City MO (full band)