Even as John Doude studied engineering at Mississippi State University, the music called. After two years of college, the McCool native answered it. His swampy blend of Southern rock, deep roots blues and Americana has been drawing in fans ever since.
Doude”s third release, “Unbroken” (Blue Mountain Records), dropped earlier this month. Zachary”s in Columbus, 205 Fifth St. N., will host a CD release show Friday at 9 p.m. There is no cover charge, patrons must be at least 21.
Clap, whoop and holler
Audiences usually see Doude, guitar in hand, pounding out a heartbeat on kick drum and hi hat. He”s also gifted on dobro and harmonica. Spinning yarns of tragedy and murder, of love lost and hope found, the singer/songwriter wraps his storytelling in sweaty blues riffs and what one critic dubs an “energetic blend of Hank Williams Jr. and Tom Waits with a mean slide guitar.”
After his previous releases — a self-titled disc in 2007 and “Voodoo Panther” in 2009 — “Unbroken” offers up Doude with brothers Jon and Sim Hill on a mix of styles from rockabilly to hill country blues. There”s even a reggae and an Irish tune.
“This album represents some of the best songs I”ve written,” the artist said. “With the addition of some very talented musicians, we were able to really capture the emotion of the songs.”
The Independent Weekly in Raleigh, N.C., says Doude”s “fuzzed-out, country-blues guitar picking sheds light on dark, forgotten places … he intones lyrics like a mystic casting a trance with earthy and immortal Southern sounds of gnarled trees, Spanish moss and trails overrun with underbrush … ”
The one-time Bulldog is a “complete do-it-yourself kind of person,” with his own record label, recording studio and publishing company.
“I”m fortunate enough to be doing something many people wish they could.”
Check out Mississippi John Doude online. “Unbroken” is available at cdbaby.com and itunes.com.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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