Dancin' With Wolves

Nashville’s Natural Child capture a variety of vintage sounds with their recently expanded group. Having added a full-time keyboardist (a Wurlitzer man, they say) and a pedal steel operator, the basic country-R&B-roots-rock-country band can here do everything they imagined on their previous albums. A wordless instrumental track like “Bailando Con Lobos” captures a vibe somewhere between a laid-back version of Let It Bleed, Jose Feliciano, and Philly soul, while the full-on “Saturday Night Blues” reverts to an innocent Stones-Canned Heat boogie that’s surprisingly effective and fun. The cover of Tom T. Hall's “Nashville’s a Groovy Little Town” is a fitting touch and reveals the sense of humor that makes Natural Child a great rock ’n’ roll band. If they were really serious about “Country Hippie Blues,” they’d have to be committed. But by essaying solid country-influenced rock ’n’ roll tunes like “Rounder” and “I’m Gonna Try,” they’re past the point of kidding around.