Theoadore Muddfoot - The Beauty of the Swamp
1999/ 39:04 Minutes / 8 Tracks / Studio
Release Date: 1999 -
Produced by: Self Produced
Website: Muddfoot

Reviewed by Matt Rowe on March 20, 2002

I received a package in the mail today from a band named Theoadore Muddfoot. Inside was a tastefully designed promo kit, personally put together by someone who cared about the band. Needless to say, I was impressed. Someone who carefully hand assembles a kit like this has something going on for them.

I put on the CD supplied with the kit and was was immediately treated to a sound of frog infested swamps which gave way to a burst of heavy metal thrum. And that singer sounds like a hopped up Ann Wilson. Not a bad thing. In fact, I liked it. And some range she can reach. The guitar work of Ian Rose is very good. He is definitely a rock star in the making. He has the spirit of it in him, the look, pose and, I suppose, the push. The drum work is good but I would have liked to hear a little more intiative from Red. Red reminds me of one of my old bandmates from the 70s when I was rampant. The styles were the same, timed and well in sync with the band. Billy (my old mate) was a free thinker on the set. I recommend Red let loose. He possesses the ability. The Bass player, Amanda S, has good riffs in there but could add more to the mix. The key...let loose.

The songs, some good, some downright great. I didn't like every one of the cuts but who always does. I gotta choose the faves here though. "Warrior", a champ of a song with very strong radio potential. This song has everything going for it... but it needs, like the rest of the CD, better production. This band and some of these songs can be absolute classics with a few more bucks and better engineering. The song has beautiful vocals and great everything else, screaming Billboard all over the place. Another, "You Were in My Dreams" was well done and another potential single. "Leichtensteiner Man" is a stunner with all the right elements in the mix. Having had a little experience in recording studios and as a producer, I recognized several songs that could benefit from enhancements that would add atmosphere to them. But, as a first CD, it is remarkably done. All I'm doing here is recognizing the potential of this band.

There are some bad sides to this CD. The one main irritation and distraction from every song is that cursed frog noise. Ok at first but then.....just plain distracting. A very important element left out in this package is the lyrics. It seemed to me that the songs had something to convey. It's hard to display your thoughts without some touchpoint and a lyric sheet would have provided that.

I'm anxious to hear future material from this band. I would love to see these guys live because that is half the allure of a band. Next timeI get down to Florida, for sure. Their talent is there and, with the right help, could be made into a marketable one. However, at this point in time, in history, the big money bands are different. To reach the pinnacle will require a rework of style. This band can weather that. Good Luck, Theoadore Muddfoot.

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