Funky Nashville: Hitch A Ride
Funky Nashville - Hitch A Ride

news flash: Nashville is not in Kentucky. in case you didn't know, it's in Tennessee. finding this out was a cringe-worthy moment (thanks, Daniel) but now i know, and i'll probably still make the mistake again regardless. but now - Funky Nashville? my eyes are rolling. painfully cheesy name, huh? block o' cheese. cheez-whiz style, oh yeah. but the truth is, this band is prime aged cheddar, NY's Dean & DeLuca's style.

dairy metaphors aside, i like this band a lot, and they're not even from this country (Denmark) let alone the southern rock haven. the albums they're putting out are very different from everything the indie scene represents right now. it's not obscure, there are no electronic beeps or blips, and not even any synths. it's pure rock, with classic influences and deep deep roots quite obviously implanted in the rich rock history of their Tennesse namesake (hm, got it right that time). i hear blues, funk, soul, country - all within a finely-tuned array of tracks that keep the listener's interest consumingly piqued.

the album kicks off with the first single, title-track Hitch A Ride. it's a good and obvious choice. it's friendly; you get the instant pleasure of a hook and a foot tapping along. if there's one thing you can expect from Funky Nashville, it's their consistency and sure-footedness. they know their craft, they know their influences, and they know what you'll like - and good-god-damn, they're going to give it to you.

the rest of the album never strays too far from single material. jamming along though varying degrees of bluesy classic rock, you get waves of good 'ol times and waves of losing your wife/dog/truck, breakin' heart blues. the steel is never heavy (ever) and there is no voice distortion, nothing to ever draw comparisons to (gulp) Tim McGraw. basically, it's not country. it's so many things, from latino influences to old Western soundtracks. really, it's quite amazing what they can pull off every time. so listen up: it's sure, it's good, and it's talking about that good'olfeelgood stuff. if you've spun the new BOAT album one too many times or Klee's airy Honeysuckle just isn't grabbing you like you thought it would - this'll do the trick. they promise.

::::here are the two first singles:
Funky Nashville - Hitch A Ride
Funky Nashville - La Luna
- - - i am surprised and almost disappointed that this is one of the singles. there are so many other songs that are so much better, and yet i cannot give them to you. i urge you to acquire them yourself.

Hitch A Ride is on 215 Music. go purchase the damn thing, prettily packaged all the way from Denmark. also check the myspace, do the friend thing, check tour dates..  shan  6:18 PM  |  view comments (0)