Both boldly bodacious and brazenly badd-ass, brand new combo Jen Mize & The Rough N’ Tumble know how to bring the party. Mize’s sultry vocals and the eight-piece outfit’s rollicking good-time vibes and unquenchable energy pack enough punch to rock even the firmest of foundations.
Having already proved themselves as a formidable live force, as their eponymous debut album shows they can craft one hell of a funky racket in the studio as well. The authentic blend of country, blues, soul and old-school rock – paired with Mize’s powerful, expressive voice – transferring to tape perfectly, saw early singles from the release dominating airwaves and pricking ears all around the country.
But the band’s confident and charasmatic front-woman hasn’t always been found strutting her stuff out the front of a rip-roaring band like the Rough N’ Tumble. Over the course of her career and life to date, the US-born Mize has experienced a staggering array of musical adventures, ranging from playing the cello in the Las Vegas Symphony Orchestra to performing at the White House, from playing in trashy Vegas cover bands to spending months on the road singing with the Duke Ellington Orchestra and Mary Wilson of The Supremes.
In more recent times, since following her heart to her adopted homeland of Australia in the mid-2000s, Mize forged a successful career in the alt-country realms. Her beautiful voice and thought-provoking songwriting not only became a staple of Australian country stages and festivals, but appeared on three acclaimed solo albums – Fear, Pride & A Few Stubborn Angels (2013), the Shane Nicholson produced Warnings & Wisdom (2016) and her collaboration Twilight On The Trail (2018) with jazz musician Mark Sholtez – three records characterised by spacious, country-tinged arrangements allowing plenty of space for her rich voice to shine.
Fortunately, fans of Mize’s earlier work needn’t feel abandoned, as Jen Mize & The Rough N’ Tumble contains a couple of perfectly stripped-back numbers – the soaring country lament ‘Hell Of A Liar’ and poignant ballad ‘Bukowski’ – which complement the surrounding cache of sultry rockers perfectly.
And though sometimes when an artist makes such a seismic sonic shift it can come across as contrived or inauthentic, in the case of Mize forming The Rough N’ Tumble the new louder aesthetic came together naturally because it’s always been a part of her music armoury. “I was always a massive fan of Bonnie Raitt, I especially love her first three albums – so those funky 70s blues … the tongue-and-cheek approach to female sexuality – I grew up listening to that.”
“Then The Black Crowes came along, I was also deeply into Tom Petty – and still am. I was still in my teens when Shake Your Money Maker came out and then Tom Petty’s Wildflowers. Being a teen in the ’90s, I loved records like Counting Crows’ August And Everything After and Sheryl Crow’s Tuesday Night Music Club. If you combine my Mum’s love of folk and my Dad’s love of classic rock and renegade country – all the Bonnie Raitt & Janis Joplin – and throw in those ’90s singer-songwriter/alt-country/Southern Rock mix, then suddenly The Rough N’ Tumble doesn’t seem that much of a stretch – that’s what I listen to.”
In assembling The Rough N’ Tumble Mize organically pulled together a group of musicians already in her orbit from her time on the Australian scene – namely Jeremy Edwards, Mitch Power, Zac Watson, Andy Shrav, Steve Fearnley, Tristan Rogers and Matt Luff – with each member chosen as much for their temperament and relatability as their indubitable musical acumen.
To date, The Rough N’ Tumble’s record output is faring very well, with two of the early singles (‘Elevator Ride’ and ‘Out The Back Of The House’) going to #1 on the AMRAP radio charts, and their sensual track ‘All Riled Up’ scoring the band a Queensland Music Award for Best Blues & Roots song. Mize, for her part, couldn’t be happier with these early victories.
Jen Mize & The Rough N’ Tumble’s self-titled debut album is out May 19 via Pathfinder Music.
