Jackson Free Press

The Jackson-based band Swamp Babies has been lurking in the local music scene for the past couple of years. With the release of its debut album, "Up High From Way Down Here," however, the time has come for the band to step into the spotlight.

The rock 'n' roll album spotlights Swamp Babies' abilities as a live trio of guitar, bass and drums. Ruthie Taylor's bass playing and Ryan Baucum's drumming both —compliment Josh Taylor's guitar tones and his voice. The real secret weapons of the album, though, are its original songs. They are melodic, inventive and, most of all, grounded in a clear understanding of pop music's history. This is not an album designed to reinvent the wheel. It simply presents some groovy tunes to keep the wheel turning.

The album's musical focus should not surprise people who have met Swamp Babies' frontman, Josh Taylor, 31. If you ever shopped at Be-Bop Record Shop in Maywood Mart in the early 2000s, you likely met Taylor and encountered his infectious love for all types of music. Shoppers could sometimes tell when he was running the store's music selection because they were likely to hear something as obscure as "Arthur" by The Kinks.

During that time, Taylor seemed to be journeying through most of Jackson's live music scene. He played bass with the jazzy Circus of the Seed before landing a gig with local alt-country favorite Goodman County with Cody Cox, founder of Elegant Trainwreck. Taylor also spent a little time in Men of Leisure.

After Goodman County disbanded in the late 2000s, Taylor felt it was time to start his own rock band as an outlet for his songwriting. His wife, Ruthie, 27, volunteered to play bass. "She stepped up and learned, because she knew it was something I wanted to do, and (she) wanted to learn," Taylor says. Ryan Baucum, 31, of Wooden Finger came onboard to complete the lineup.

"We started by learning some covers, but everything was really happening very naturally. Of course, we were always writing songs the entire time," Taylor says. "After two to three years, we'd collected about 10 songs. Cody approached us and offered to put out a recording. So, we went to Drew (McKercher) at Morningbell and made a record."

Recording the debut album went smoothly as well. "Drew pushed me to stick with things I wouldn't have otherwise done," Taylor says. "Thank God for that, because I'm happy with the results. We recorded over the course of a couple of days because the songs were already written and essentially arranged, prior to recording."

"Up High From Way Down Here" ended up being eight tracks, clocking in at almost 40 minutes of smart rock 'n' roll. "That's just about the perfect length for a rock record," Taylor says with a laugh. "We have a couple of tracks left over, but we might put them out as extras at some point."

Underneath the swirl of guitar, bass and drums, a uniform of sound binds the songs. However, they also feature an element of diversity upon deeper listening. The music ranges from straightforward rock ("Heavy Hearts and Bare Tires") to bossa nova ("Got It Made"). Despite these stylistic differences, everything is wrapped in a package that is uniquely Swamp Babies.

"Let's be brave, and let's be dutiful," Taylor sings on the track "One Laser Beam To Another." If that's any indication of where Swamp Babies is heading, then Jackson has a true gem on its hands.

Purchase physical copies of Swamp Babies' "Up High From Way Down Here" at Morningbell Records & Cafe (4760 Interstate 55 N., Suite A, 769-233-7468). Listen to and download the album at swampbabies1.bandcamp.com.