The Flaming Mudcats

‘Til The Money’$ All Gone

Artist: The Flaming Mudcats
Label: Mudcat Music
Release Date: 6 February 2024
Genre: Rhythm & Blues

On their fifth album Til The Money’s All Gone longstanding Kiwi blues stalwarts The Flaming Mudcats hit the spot with a smorgasbord of 11 fresh songs. Recorded live in Studio 11B over two days, the band’s four songwriters cover everything from Little Feat-ish /New Orleans’ grooves (“ I Should Have Told You That”) through straight-ahead blues shuffles (”Good News”) to the jazz flavoured “Smoke and Mirrors”. They dip their toe in to funk on “Get On Down”, hover in a minor blues on “Satan’s Grip” and deliver a poignant Cyclone Gabriel memorial on the Robert Cray influenced “Waiting For The River To Fall”.

A strength of The Flaming Mudcats’ song writing is the strong story lines in the lyrics. This is backed up with some great performances from vocalist/blues harpist Craig Bracken who leads the band with authority while allowing plenty of room for the band to fly. The solid rhythm section of Ian Thomson( drums) and Pete Parnham (electric and acoustic basses) is complemented by the unique guitar playing of Doug Bygrave and keyboardist Liam Ryan on piano and Hammond B3.

This is authentic, well-considered contemporary antipodean blues and signals a step up from one of New Zealand’s best live bands. Well worth a listen.

– Midge Marsden, March 2024
Listen on all major streaming platforms, or download from Bandcamp.

Preview

Credits

Craig Bracken: vocals, backing vocals, harmonica, tenor sax
Doug Bygrave: guitars, backing vocals
Liam Ryan: piano, Hammond organ, keyboards, backing vocals
Pete Parnham:  electric bass, upright bass, backing vocals
Ian Thomson: drums, backing vocals 

All tracks were recorded live over two days in September 2023 at Studio 11b, Mt. Maunganui and engineered by Evan Pope. 

Mixed and Mastered by Liam Ryan.

Tracks

  1. ‘Til The Money’s All Gone (C. Bracken)
  2. Get On Down (C. Bracken)
  3. Gimme Half A Chance (C.Bracken)
  4. Good News (C. Bracken)
  5. Waiting For The River To Fall (L. Ryan)
  6. I Shoulda Told You That (P. Parnham)
  7. Long Haul (I. Thomson)
  8. Writing’s On The Wall (C. Bracken)
  9. Things Ain’t What They Seem (I. Thomson)
  10. Satan’s Grip (C. Bracken)
  11. Smoke And Mirrors (C. Bracken)

What they are saying about this album

A great statement of contemporary Rhythm and Blues from the Flaming Mudcats, with eleven original songs, recorded live in the studio in a few days. It captures a great mix of blues, soul, funk and jazz with slick arrangements from a band who have honed their craft from years of live performance both here and the US. It’s a very enjoyable collection of great songs both joyful and heartfelt, bursting with life and ambition.

– Midge Marsden, March 2024

New Zealand’s Flaming Mudcats are guaranteed to keep the blues fresh and alive with another very fine release in 2024, Till The Money’$ All Gone

– Colin Briscoe, March 2024
Programmer Radio 2RRR-88.5FM

The Flaming Mudcats almost literally arrived on my doorstep in 2013. Here in the States on tour from their native New Zealand, the boys convinced me (before they left home) to add them to our new festival at the Rockford Aviator’s Baseball Stadium. How they convinced me was by sending me a superb CD to listen to. I was floored and we changed the plan; we opened the day early and added them to the bill. Things went so well that we also invited them to play our festival at Lyran Park in Rockford a few years later. These guy are the real deal.

Craig Bracken is on vocals, backing vocals, harmonica, and tenor sax. Doug Bygrave plays guitars and sings backing vocals. On keys is Liam Ryan (piano, Hammond organ, keyboards and backing vocals. Pete Parnham plays electric bass and upright bass and also in on backing vocals while drummer Ian Thomson also provides backing vocals

“Til The Money’s All Gone” is a swinging and bouncy number about a guy willing to spend it all  on his woman until it’s all gone. Loyal and loving devotion emptying his bank account. A slick sax and then piano solo are fun  and add to the jazzy feel, and then a nice, guitar solo sweetens the pot. Next is “Get On Down” where there is a cool groove laid down on organ with support of the backline. There’s some funky stuff going on here as the organ is featured front and center. The guitar also adds to the mix in a slick little number. “Gimme Half a Chance” follows, a song of asking for his girl to cut him a break as the tile says. Up next is “Good News,” another swinging track with a very tasteful guitar solo and later piano and then harp solo.

“Waiting For The River To Fall” brings back the funk in a solemn cut with solid guitar and smooth vocals. A sweet harp solo adds to the ambience as the song tells us they have to wait for the flood waters to recede. “I Should’ve Told You That” has a Bo Diddley thing going on and the overall sound kinda reminds me of Johnny Otis. Featuring another nice piano solo and some cool organ and guitar work, it’s a fun number. “Long Haul” opens with a big, rocking guitar intro as the vocals tell us of long term relational commitment. The organ lays out some more fine R&B and some later guitar soloing also helps set the tone.

Rocking jump blues are the order of the day with “Writing’s On The Wall.” The guitar sings, the organ howls, the harp growls in a very fine tune. More swinging stuff is dealt up in “Things Ain’t What They Seem” as the harp and piano get to give us a great boogie to savor. The temp gets turned down for “Satan’s Grip,” a somber rhumba with gritty harp and vocals. The chromatic gives us something to delight in as the band does a super job on this darker piece. The album concludes with “Smoke And Mirrors” and continues in the swinging fun. This is a slow to mid tempo piece where the woman in the song is not dealing her cards straight up. The piano work is well done and the guitar is equally up to the task as the song just flows ever so sweetly along. The chromatic harp takes us home as the song winds the album down. Well done!

Brackens’ vocals are tight. The band demonstrates great musicianship throughout. These guys can play, which is not news. Their fifth album adds to their fine track record. Eleven new tunes mixing the sounds of West Coast, Chicago, Texas and America’s South give the listener a fun ride to experience. Available only on Spotify, this is a great album for their fans new and old to enjoy. The boys from Auckland, New Zealand, have delivered another winner!

– Steve Jones
BluesBlast Magazine, March 2024, Issue 18 – 12, and The Groove, Magazine, The bi-monthly newsletter of the Crossroads Blues Society (USA)

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