Calling your band Nashville Pussy and plastering the covers of your records with provocative pictures of the busty female band members provides a pretty much built-in audience. There is a segment of the population that will buy that record no matter what the music sounds like. Nashville Pussy deserves more of an audience than that, however.In an era of rock and roll when everything is to be taken seriously, perpetuated by generation of musicians who are still recovering from the moribund state of depression imposed upon them by grunge and post grunge, honest good-time rock and roll bands have become increasingly rare. Back in 1998, when Nashville Pussy released their first record, the band upset that scene, brought back lawlessness, and removed the moral fiber choking their beloved rock music. Since that time, NP has continued to release albums and tour, sticking resolutely to their chosen formula of sex, rock, and humor. Far from stagnating, the band has gotten stronger with each release but with 2005's, Get Some, the band sounds truly fresh for the first time since their debut. In today's universe, shock value tends to come up a little lame. There just aren't many taboos left to break, but with their new record, Nashville Pussy proves that they are about more than just an outrageous stage show and a naughty word.
Get Some assaults from the get go like a trailer hitch in a tube sock to the side of the head. With a memorable chorus and a fist-pumping break, "Pussy Time" is a lock for a concert favorite and stands as a reminder to the FCC that this band does not care one iota about the increased scrutiny on the entertainment industry in general. They aren't part of any industry. "Going Down Swinging" and "Hell Ain't What it Used to Be" find singer Blaine Cartwright barking out in defiance of anyone of the opinion that his band has lost a step or gotten stale.
"One Way Down" sounds like Guns N Roses at their sleaziest reborn and the guitar solo at its conclusion by Ruyter Suys wouldn't sound out of place in a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. Suys stands out like never before, even throwing in some subtle slide work on "Raisin Hell Again." A cover of Bob Seger's "Nutbush City Limits" impresses as well, and despite my initial reservations that it was a cutesy pick, just for the title (cough, cough), NP's version delivers and does the original proud.
For the first time since Let Them Eat Pussy the band sounds as vital and alive as their on stage performance had remained since day one. There may not be a harder working band in rock-Nashville Pussy never fails to dole out the sweat, flesh, and beers. Get Some finds the band sticking with the tried and true mix of AC/DC riffing and Ted Nugent soloing and chaos that has buttered their bread throughout their career, but also mixing in serious chunks of glam and southern boogie. Wash that down with a cold beer and you have the Nashville Pussy experience in a nutshell, just don't forget to crank it up really loud.
Throughout the band's history, various absurd comparisons placed the band among genres like Psychobilly, comparisons which are so off the mark as to be laughable. Nashville Pussy is a straight ahead rock band. The riffs on Get Some are solid throughout, and while not the most imaginative pieces of rock writing, lay a massive foundation for the soloing to build from. The band has also been knocked for not writing hooks. While in the traditional sense, this may be true at times, the band still writes catchy songs with those powerful riffs allowing the vocals to act as the hooks. There are half a dozen tunes on Get Some you will undoubtedly find yourself singing in the shower. The bottom line is that the music works and it is what it is. If you're expecting high art, why did you buy a Nashville Pussy record?
The album "concept" such as it is, centers around pinball. The cover art features a pinball table set up and the intro and outro both feature the rattle and ring of Tommy in action. Perhaps this sums up the bands feeling of being bounced around from label to label for the last seven years, or maybe it's an ode to the pinball-playing days of their youth. Of course, there are endless sexual innuendos that could be applied, but in the end the statement is probably just that pinball is fun just like the music on Get Some. This is a record to blast out car speakers with the windows open, or to turn up to eleven at one in the morning when you know your neighbor has already called the cops. Truth be told, there isn't much shock left in this band, but you might still be left in awe of what a good time ensues when you play this record.
