The Mud Angels are a blues rock band based in Madison, Wisconsin. With a name like the Mud Angels, you might think water is their main element, but fire is more likely -- their live performance has been described as "blazing", "incendiary" and "steamy" (Rick's Cafe, regional music magazine). Winners of three awards in the 2008 Madison Area Music Awards competition (Blues Artist of the Year, Blues Song of the Year, and Female Vocalist of the Year), their "blues on fire" sound is created by Laura "Torch" England on vocals, Kenny Cobb and Jackson on guitars, Mike Burden on bass guitar and Andy Mosey on drums.

The Mud Angels released their much anticipated debut album, a bolt from the blue in February 2008. Through two years performing the bluesy tunes of powerhouses like Susan Tedeschi, Sue Foley, Debbie Davies, Candye Kane and The Allman Brothers Band, the Mud Angels steadily added original songs to their set until an album shaped up. The record includes 12 original tunes with a variety of styles that’s unusually wide for a blues-based album and comes from having three writers in the band, Laura England, Kenny Cobb and Jackson. The record traverses many moods, from slow and sexy to urgent and rocking, and many topics, from sweet devotion and tasty summer fruit to soured love and bitter politics. The album’s vocal and guitar melodies, performed by front woman Laura "Torch" England and lead guitarist Kenny Cobb, span an equally impressive range in tone, emotion and intensity. Their debut album lands the Mud Angels solidly on blues-rock ground.

The Mud Angels include five musicians with notable and varied musical stories. The Mud Angels’ tight rhythms come from the band’s core -- drummer Andy Mosey, bass guitarist Mike Burden and guitarist Jackson -- who have been playing together in various forums for more than 10 years. They recruited singer England to front the band in the spring of 2005 and lead guitarist Cobb in the fall of 2006 to complete their guitar-driven blues rock sound.

With a passion for singing that she learned at a young age, England has found a real musical home in blues and blues rock. Born and raised in North Carolina, England comes by her soulful tone naturally though it wasn’t until recent years that she began singing the blues. From age 12 to 20, she performed classical chamber music with award-winning and internationally-touring choirs and directed a pop-rock a cappella group in college. After graduating and pursuing a career in environmental conservation, England’s main musical outlet was singing back-up harmonies for her twin sister, Kyler England, a professional and highly accomplished singer-songwriter now based in Los Angeles.

It was truly a stroke of luck that the Mud Angels discovered England and connected her with a body of music that highlights the strength and style of her voice like no other genre. "The expressive and challenging melodies of the blues feel so natural -- it’s like this is where my voice belongs. Nothing feels better than belting out a Tedeschi tune," says England. And vocal comparisons to this blues heroine are frequent -- "This girl has style and can wail like Susan Tedeschi," said Rick Tvedt of Rick’s Café after first hearing the singer at Build Your Own Bluesfest in September 2005. Tvedt also described her performance as "incendiary," earning her the nickname "Torch." England has also found her voice as a songwriter -- she crafted all of her vocal melodies, most of the lyrics, and some of the song structures for the tunes on the Mud Angels’ debut album.

Lead guitarist Kenny Cobb, the band’s newest member, provides the stylistic adhesion that pulls together the tightness of the core and vocals with guitar fireworks to create a full and rousing sound. Cobb is a true professional with formal training in music (B.A. UW Whitewater) and a day job at Music Notes playing his guitar for the development of Guitar Guru software. He has played all over the country in a variety of bands and ensembles including his own band, Big Blue.

The Mud Angels will be touring around Wisconsin and beyond in 2008 to promote their new record, with appearances at a number of regional blues festivals. Keep an eye out and both ears tuned to the Mud Angels for more smoking performances of their originals and favorite blues rock covers!