Sweet Petunia
Foggy Mountain Mental Breakdown
Righteous Babe Records
Oh-my-lordy-loo! Not only is this one of the all-time coolest album titles, but with Foggy Mountain Mental Breakdown, Mairead Guy and Maddy Simpson have also delivered a 12-track collection that’s genuine enough to scratch the itch of old-school Americana-crazed, indie folk consumers, while possessing the courage to take more than a few modern-day liberties.
Straight from the tippy, “Kennedy Rag – Clementine,” bursts with beautiful hootenanny-birthed authenticity and skin-tight Indigo-style harmonies. Hot on its heels, “Hal” owns sunny, farmhouse cred without feeling too much like one of the records I’ve heisted from my Papaw’s bluegrass collection.
Of the record’s first two video singles, “Good Part” is an alluring banjo-pluckin’, guitar-pickin’ highlight, while “Grub” is a more delicate-sounding, yet equally shiny, banjo lovers’ treat.
Sweet Petunia’s most lethal weapons are their palate-pleasing lead vocals, soul-piercing harmonies, heart-tugging lyrics, AND rib-cracking collision of banjos, fiddles, and acoustic guitars. That said, it could be argued that the honest and pure-sounding “Blue Sky” and the moving, acoustic-driven “Puke” stand as two of the record’s tallest tracks.
Yeah, I know it’s only March, but I’d wager at least two crisp Lincolns that come December, Foggy Mountain Mental Breakdown will still rank among the year’s best, brightest, and most irresistible folk-fueled earworms.
Foggy Mountain Mental Breakdown Track List
*All songs by Mairead Guy and Madison Simpson
01. Kennedy Rag – Clementine (3:21)
02. Hal (2:33)
03. Good Part (2:16)
04. I Wanna Run (2:55)
05. Nothin’ Yet (4:12)
06. Grub (3:29)
07. In David’s Living Room (3:12)
08. Heels (3:32)
09. Blue Sky (3:28)
10. Guise (3:30)
11. Wilting (3:47)
12. Puke (3:52)
