Mudcrutch Mudcrutch

Reprise Records

4 out of 5 stars

Release Date: April 29, 2008

Mudcrutch is a band that will sound familiar to all. They are the band that preceded Tom Petty & Heartbreakers and features Tom Petty on lead vocals/bass and fellow Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell and Benmont Trench; Randall Marsh and Tom Leadon round out the group. The band formed in 1970, broke up in 1974 and in late-2007 reunited at Petty’s request to record their debut studio album. Recorded in less than two weeks, the result is a tight collection of original Petty songs mixed with some standards and lots of added country flavor. Imagine Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers meets The Byrds, circa 1970. Mudcrutch is a country rock album that could have easily been released in 1970. Lucky for us they waited 30 years to finally record this album. Standouts include the nine-minute “Crystal River,” the spot-on rendition of “Shady Grove,” and the Gram Parsons-inspired country vibe of “Queen of The Go-Go Girls.”

– Jonathan Keller

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