From the cool blues of the Mississippi Delta to the swampy southern rock of the ’70s, the American south certainly has a textured musical record. Enter Natural Child, born and bred in Tennessee, the band’s blazing new trails off the southern rock avenue while never forgetting where their roots lie.
The Nashville rockers take the old, gritty music of the south and serve it up in a modern outfit. Their 2014 album Dancin’ with Wolves meets at the intersection of blues and punchy garage rock. The album is full of laid-back grooves tinged in mellow twang, frequently belting out solos with the bottleneck slide, a renowned accessory in the southern musical canon. Tracks like “Out in the Country” welcome city life with weary arms, longing for simpler living.
“Out in the Country” is an ode to the pastoral—celebrating the area’s lack of pretension and urban frenzy. Beginning with a perfectly paced bass line the song quickly weaves together a range of styles—from rock to country—into a distinct patchwork. The song sets up a space that lets in an alluring sense of wildness, part of the band’s style. Take a minute—or three—to check out a change of scenery with Natural Child.
