In all likelihood, you’ve never heard of this band before, and never, ever, heard any of their music, either. That’s a shame, because this duo has genuine talent and incredible harmony together. They can actually sing – no autotune machine here – an increasingly rare phenomenon in recent pop music.
Jessy Wilson and Kallie North formed Muddy Magnolias in 2014 after meeting in Nashville. Wilson is from Brooklyn, NY. North is from Beaumont, TX. Songwriter/producer Rick Beato helped them with their first tune, Down by the Riverside. The common reaction after hearing this track is, ‘Why wasn’t this a monster hit?’ (I blame music industry executives, myself.) Their musical style has it all: Rock, Soul, Blues, R&B, with an occasional, tasteful, serving of Country. I can’t help thinking of Tedeschi Trucks Band. Muddy Magnolias produced one album, Broken People (released October 2016), and two additional singles, for a grand total of thirteen tracks. (There are also at least two more songs they covered, but not included here.) Inexplicably failing to achieve commercial success, the duo split in late 2017. It appears that one of their songs, American Woman, was featured in the season 3 soundtrack of Twin Peaks (in 2017, apparently).
If, before I first listened to Muddy Magnolias, you’d told me this was an obscure band from the seventies, I’d have believed it (okay, with the exception of American Woman, which doesn’t fit in with the rest of their tracks).
This is the good stuff.
2014
Down by the Riverside (4:55)
2015
American Woman (3:03)
2016
Broken People (3:46)
Brother, What Happened? (3:45)
Got It Goin’ On (4:15)
Why Don’t You Stay? (4:34)
Take Me Home (3:51)
Shine On! (4:27)
It Ain’t Easy (4:12)
I Need a Man (4:01)
Devil’s Teeth (3:27)
Train (3:50)
Leave It to the Sky (3:58)
(featuring John Legend)
