Sex Appeal of Raunchy Quartet Matched by High-Voltage Rock

When it comes to pop, a big dose of sex appeal can divert attention from music good or bad--and Nashville Pussy is all about sex appeal. The group’s raunchy concerts and licentious album art have generated a feverish buzz, but the high-voltage rock the Atlanta-based outfit whipped up at the Troubadour on Friday would have been just as exhilarating without the carnal frills.

Motorhead and AC/DC are obvious inspirations behind this outfit, and like those role models, the quartet swaggers along the jagged line that separates thrashy punk from thrashy metal. Guitarist Ruyter Suys was consumed by the spirit of the music, twitching and convulsing like a female version of AC/DC’s Angus Young as she churned out barbed solos and crunching chords in tandem with singer-guitarist (and husband) Blaine Cartwright. Though Corey Parks’ fire-breathing prowess and super-model proportions often overshadow her bass playing, she staunchly held down the bottom end with drummer Jeremy Thompson to keep the tunes turbo-charging along.

Then there were the naughty bits that have earned the band its notoriety--a steamy exchange between Cartwright, Suys and a bottle of beer, plus some heated interplay between Suys and Parks. The audience certainly appreciated the spectacle, but ultimately it was the music that proved most titillating.