Mule

"We left town to the sound of buckshot rain"...possibly the best opening lyric ever laid down.

Kool. Awesome. Thanks.

It is mule and it is good!

It is hard, in words, to explain the first thirty seconds of Mississippi Breaks, the albums first track. I could punch you in the face, and that might get the point across. This is American music at its very best. P.W. Long, who goes by the evil moniker P-Bone on this outing, is a treasure. A crooner from the deep south (Tennessee) who is not only able to channel his angst and his southern disposition, but also his soulfullness. One listen to Now I Truly Understand, the hidden gem on this record, will show exactly how multi-dimesional this record, him and all of Mule is.Couple the above with Jim Kimball (Sorely Lacking from Mule's second full length, If I Don't Six) on drums and Kevin Munro on bass - the dynamic, frightening rhythm section of Detroit's legendary Laughing Hyenas - and you get dirty sonic fury at its very best. Understnad that P-Bone does not use distortion on his guitar. Mule is just so damn angry it sounds that way! This is nearly a blues album. Bluegrass mixed with Motown. The old South meets the mean North. The real end to the Civil War. You got to check it out.Highlights are the above mentioned tracks, Lucky and I'm Hell. The only shortcoming in my opinion is Sugarcane Zuzu, which sounds like Tad Doyle sang it. That and the fact that there aren't half a dozen more tunes on this disk. I miss Mule...

I don't know how else to explain without using crazy scenarios like the other reviewers. This music is real. It moves you. I first saw Mule live when my band Frum the Hills played with them at Memory Lane, Baltimore in the early 90's. They are f00k1n awesome live, so much power and energy. We played with them a few times. My favorite memory is being told I was on stage with them, drunk as f00k and I'm laying on the stage with a harmonica in my mouth just blowing away to no particular melody, he, fun times...

Buy this album now. It's loud, raw and extremely entertaining. With Steve Albini as producer, it guarantees that the instrumentation won't be overly produced. He knows exactly how to get the sound the band wants in the studio....getting the perfect take at recording without messing with it after the fact. This is necessary for a band like Mule. P.W. Long's vocals will blow you away. He sounds like Tom Waits with strep throat, screaming out every line. As soon as you hear the first 30 seconds of the opening track, you'll know this with purchase. "We left town to sound of buckshot rain!"