The first thing a listener notices when hooking up with Joe Pug is the familiar, plaintive cry of a mid-American folk singer. “Hymn 101″ from the Nation of Heat EP of 2008, is a Woody Guthrie/Bob Dylan-style cry for attention that doesn’t necessarily focus on one girl or one place. As with many tunes of this style, the hymn is a painting of the singer and his somewhat sad-eyed vision of the world.

The title tune, “Nation of Heat” has a bit more anger and frustration in it. I can’t quite put my finger on another singer this sounds like. Maybe it just sounds like Joe Pug. If someone out there can honestly tell me that Pug is a derivative of some earlier singer, feel free. OK, the harmonica is in the Dylan vein. But maybe we need another Robert Zimmerman

Try this take, from a Chicago writer. I can only say that I agree, for the most part – “Pug is the real deal. The kid’s got that weariness in his delivery that you can’t smoke or drink your way to because it comes from somewhere deeper than the vocal chords. It’s the same gritty, spirited voice that made Hank I, Kurt Cobain, and Bob Dylan iconic, and we as Chicagoans will be privileged enough to watch the kid develop from precocious youngster to out and out star.”-Chicagoist

I like the song title “I Do My Father’s Drugs.” Says a lot.

Joe Pue on MySpace

Tags: indie music, joe pug, indie, independent music, music