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NASHVILLE PUSSY
Up The Dosage

Steamhammer (2014)
Rating: 8.5/10

Nashville Pussy is one of the guilty pleasures hidden in my music collection. Since 1996 Blaine Cartwright and his wife Ruyter Suys have been writing some of the most brash, irreverent songs the world of rock music has ever heard. The Atlanta band’s lyrics are more dangerous than anything penned by Axl Rose (Guns N’ Roses), and nearly as funny as those put forth by Psychostick.

The difference is that Nashville Pussy adds enough reality into their intentionally snarky and offensive lyrics to hit home, all wrapped up in their own special hillbilly metal package. After five years off Nashville Pussy returns with new bassist Bonnie Buitrago to Up The Dosage.

If you’ve heard Nashville Pussy in the past, you know what you’re in for going into this album; driving beats and blues-tinged guitars that sound like Motörhead covering Molly Hatchett and a liberal dose of adult humour and drug references. Yes, Up The Dosage fits the standard Nashville Pussy mold, but it does it well. Very well. This is the best music the band has released in quite some time.

The laid back southern groove of ‘Before The Drugs Wear Off’ is a catchy piece about the joys of staying stoned and features several tasty pieces of guitar work, along with a honky tonk piano. Title track ‘Up The Dosage’ is one step from the kind of boogie rock Foghat pumped out in the 70s with a dirty edge that is only achieved by Nashville Pussy. While Up The Dosage is in some ways more of the same we would expect from Cartwright and Company, it’s also some of the best of their unique brand of metal.

There are plenty of highlights to be enjoyed in these songs, both musically and lyrically. ‘White And Loud’ has a surprising nod to doom. The main riff owes much to early Black Sabbath. ‘The South’s Too Fat To Rise Again’ brings a healthy dose of humour and realism to the table, and is catchy as hell. ‘Hooray For Cocaine, Hooray For Tennessee’ is an old school country song, complete with slide guitar and a melody that would fit perfectly on a Hank Williams album. ‘Pillbilly Blues’ is a raucous, high energy ode to self medication. ‘Rub It To Death’ offers one of the best guitar riffs Nashville Pussy has ever recorded, sounding like Motörhead at their finest. Up The Dosage is comprised of all those elements that make fans come see Nashville Pussy every time they come to town.

When I first heard Nashville Pussy I expected they were a novelty act that would soon fade into obscurity. The years have proven me wrong, and rarely am I so pleased to be mistaken. With Up The Dosage Nashville Pussy does exactly what the title would imply. All the classic elements of the band’s trademark sound are brought forward to present songs that are easily the best the band has offered fans to date. New fans and old will find this release a more than worthwhile addition to the Nashville Pussy catalogue.

Jim McDonald

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