The world of Southern eclecticism in music evokes images of retro-revivalism that separates itself from the ironic stance of its northern counterpart.  There is earnestness to the South that spills over into their music—the artists are not image centric in their decision to employ the odd and obscure instrument.  It’s natural and almost bred into their sound, as if the boundaries which translate into Billboard categories never existed.  Over the last ten years, the Carolinas have produced artists that refuse classification without defiance; it’s in their blood and to be anything else would not be true to their art.  Whiskeytown, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Southern Culture on The Skids, and The Avett Brothers are all examples of the fluidity of style that is marked more by back porches than fire escapes—record collections serve as influence rather than education.  It’s a subtle difference, but it’s one that bares consideration.  Even reaching further back into the world of Sun Records, the world of country, blues, rockabilly, and gospel were never so close as kissing cousins as they were in Sam Phillips’ studio.   

Enter Mad Tea Party into the conversation with their fourth release, Found a Reason.  The band, now pared down to the tandem of Ami Worthen (vocals, electrified ukulele—yes, you read that correctly, guitar) and Jason Krekel (vocals, juke-joint guitar, fiddle, foot drums), have taken their music and have infused it with an infectious stomp and swing.  It’s a matter of addition by subtraction on album number four.  As the group has lost band members, it has removed a layer of production that existed on their earlier releases.  Where previous albums could be described as Sunday afternoons at the State Fair, Found a Reason locates its hip-shakin’ heart in the depths of Saturday night.  

From the opening rollicking opening chords of “Blues Slip In,” the album stomps and glides with a toe tapping catchiness.  This bash and pop is rooted in the fact Krekel is playing the bass and snare drum with his feet.  The stomp is natural, unrestrained, and always on the verge of being sloppy.  The gap between the backbeat and floor-walloping strut is primitive but perfect.  This Bo Diddley beat is further underscore’s Krekel’s James Burton/Kid Congo Powers lead guitar lines, and as a result, the album has a life and spark missing from earlier recordings.   

“Bunny Moves On” is a rave up harkens back to the delta, with a little bit of Five Live Yardbirds thrown into the surf for foamy texture.  The great thing about this build up is that it’s made by Worthen’s ukulele and Krekel’s guitar—an ax and hatchet attack that brightens the push, a momentum that has a firecracker spark to it—fun, quick, and explosive.   

Worthen’s voice is a honey drenched Wanda Jackson revisited.  There is a sweetness that bellies the sass and charm drawling across the speakers. Krekel’s voice is as southern as corn bread—it answers the question “What if Jack White was born into the blues rather than being a blues scholar?”  It’s too easy to call up comparisons to other dynamic duos currently bashing it out on the scene; rather, Mad Tea Party is more like where Flat Duo Jets meets Flatt and Scruggs.  “Polly Put the Kettle On” is a perfect example of this marriage of southern sounds—the fiddle and Krekel’s voice are in a wild flail, irresistible in its beat.   

Conversely, tracks like “Yellow Trees” and “Waltz of Dispair” have a sweetness that is somewhere between Tammy Wynette and a bell-clear ennui that conjures up Katherine Whalen, Joni Mitchell, or Eva Cassidy at their most blue-eyed blue.   But when Worthen rips it up in songs like “I Never was a Cool One” or “All By Myself,” there is a wit and snark that engages as much as it endears the listener.   

This breezy balance of charm and snark may ultimately be what makes Found a Reason such a gem.  There are few bands of late that emit sparks and life with as much reckless whimsy as Mad Tea Party.  Here is the heart of a Saturday night we all hope to find.