The world needs storytellers. The world needs the kind of people that tell us about that strange, warped world that we live in. People like Johnny Cash, Lee Hazelwood, Tom Waits or even the subject of this review - Mat D. & the Profane Saints. This 10 track album is what you get when Americana meets up with its twisted cousin up a dark alley and lives to tell the tale.
They take us through a living, breathing set of stories that would make a soap opera proud. "Rambling Mary Jane Walker" introduces to the kind of low life characters that inhabit the shadows of every small town. "Bikini Bull Riding" is dedicated to upholding those important things in life namely bikini bull riding, cold beer and those damn, dirty girls. That song took us back to a time when Bluesbunny thought that was all there was on the road to happiness. Life teaches us more lessons as we go through it and that is also the case with this album. "My Soul to Blame" is a cautionary tale of what happens when a man meets the wrong woman at the wrong time. Jealousy, infidelity and murder - its all there. If you want redemption then take a listen to the gospel flavoured "You Shall be Free". Our favourite was the wryly moral "Drinking Gin and Sipping Tea". You have to hand it to this band. They take us on a walk through the wild side armed only with black humour and musical verve.
All the drama of life and love on one CD and just like a soap opera, once you get started you just get addicted to it. This was indeed the case here and the Bluesbunny immediately broke out the credit card and bought as much of the band's back catalogue as he could find. It is safe to say that we recommend that you do the same starting with this album.