Kingcrimsonprog Pigtown Blues is the new non-album single by the amazing and eclectic American Stoner Rock band Clutch. The musical direction is far from Stoner Rock however, Clutch continue their experimentation and career development even further and the direction is more in the vein of both the lighter side of their last two bluesier albums, Beale Street’ and Strange Cousins’ and even more specifically in the vein of their recent Basket Of Eggs Bonus EP from the reissued version of Blast Tyrant.

The main track, the single ‘Pigtown Blues’ is an upbeat shuffly blues number with an infectious chorus and some wonderful guitar picking. Its a great song and indicative of the fact that Clutch can handle different musical styles really well while still maintaining their own distinct charm and identity. Neil Fallon’s vocals are superb as always and the band do a great job of showing of their chops while still giving off a ramshackle jam band vibe.

The B-Side is a reworking of the opening track from Strange Cousins’ ‘Motherless Child.’ This reworking is entitled acoustic, but it is a little bit more adventurous than just a run through of the track with the power turned off, the song is restructured, the signature guitar intro is gone and the track is given an organ driven, smokey and hypnotic vibe almost reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Voodoo Child,’ but without the Psychedelic side.

If you only liked their earlier stuff and don’t like their recent flirtations with the Blues then this is probably something you should avoid. Its definitely not going to win over a fan who loves ‘Earthworm’ and hates ‘The Regulators’ or ‘Let A Poor Man Be’ for example. If you enjoyed the Basket Of Eggs release and if you are up for more of Clutch’s recent direction then this is a great little release and I’d recommend checking it out.