"So ziemlich das beste Album des Jahres 2000. Hat natürlich schon jeder." (Glitterhouse)

As Whiskeytown finally ground to a halt in the wake of an astonishing number of personal changes following Faithless Street (coupled with record company problems that kept their final album, Pneumonia, from reaching stores until two years after it was recorded), Ryan Adams ducked into a Nashville studio for two weeks of sessions with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. While arch traditionalists Welch and Rawlings would hardly seem like a likely match for alt-country's bad boy, the collaboration brought out the best in Adams; Heartbreaker is loose, open, and heartfelt in a way Whiskeytown's admittedly fine albums never were, and makes as strong a case for Adams' gifts as anything his band ever released. With the exception of the Stones-flavored "Shakedown on 9th Street" and the swaggering "To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)," Heartbreaker leaves rock & roll on the shelf in favor of a sound that blends low-key folk-rock with a rootsy, bluegrass-accented undertow, and while the album's production and arrangements are subtle and spare, they make up in emotional impact whatever they lack in volume. As a songwriter, Adams concerns himself with the ups and downs of romance rather than the post-teenage angst that dominated Whiskeytown's work, and "My Winding Wheel" and "Damn, Sam (I Love a Woman That Rains)" are warmly optimistic in a way he's rarely been before, while "Come Pick Me Up" shows he's still eloquently in touch with heartbreak. Adams has always been a strong vocalist, but his duet with Emmylou Harris on "Oh My Sweet Carolina" may well be his finest hour as a singer, and the stripped-back sound of these sessions allows him to explore the nooks and crannies of his voice, and the results are pleasing. Whiskeytown fans who loved the "Replacements-go-twang" crunch of "Drank Like a River" and "Yesterday's News" might have a hard time warming up to Heartbreaker, but the strength of the material and the performances suggest Adams is finally gaining some much-needed maturity, and his music is all the better for it. (by Mark Deming , AMG)

5 Jahre nach Wrecking Ball präsentiert sie sich uns als Songwriterin, wobei sie auf Elemente/Stimmungen des Lanois-Albums zurückgreift. Zu den angenehm gewohnten Zutaten gehören die Auftritte von Buddy & Julie Miller und Patty Griffin, auf einem Stück helfen Patty Scialfa und Bruce Springsteen aus, zur festen Band zählen Malcolm Burn, Ethan Jones und Daryl Johnson, Gastbeiträge von Kate McGarrigle und Dave Matthews runden das Wiedertreffen alter Bekannter ab. Bis auf ganz wenige Ausnahmen handelt es sich bei den neuen Stücken um Eigen bzw. Co-Kompositionen (für sie, die als Interpretin von Songs anderer berühmt wurde, eine Rarität) und dort liegt, wenn es denn einen geben muß, der Wermutstropfen. Häufig unterlegt mit Rhythmen, die an Wrecking Ball erinnern, zwischen zarter Ballade und gefühlvoller Hymne angelegt, fehlt es manchen Liedern doch an Tiefe. Aber, mal ehrlich, vergißt man solche Banalitäten nicht ohnehin, wenn diese Frau anfängt zu singen? Und an der Wirkung dieser einzigartigen Stimme hat sich nichts geändert. Eigentlich singt sie besser denn je... (Glitterhouse)

"Jetzt, wo sie schon älter als 50 ist, hat sich Emmylou Harris plötzlich entschlossen, sich Hals über Kopf ins Songwriting zu stürzen. Nur ein Song hier, Patty Griffins 'One Big Love', stammt nicht von ihr. Und das, nachdem es nach 'Wrecking Ball', das ob seiner Daniel-Lanois-Produktion von Country-Puristen geschmäht worden war, aber Harris ein neues Publikum erschloß, kein Zurück mehr zu geben schien. Statt Lanois zieht nun eine andere Schlüsselfigur von 'Wrecking Ball', Malcolm Burn, die Fäden, ohne von dessen brüchigen Klangschichten abzuweichen. Aber es ist die Handschrift von Harris, die das Album bestimmt. Ihre paradoxerweise sowohl epischen als auch intimen Songs schimmern und pulsieren, während kaleidoskopartige Bilder und mysteriöse Charaktere durch das Blickfeld treiben. Nichts bleibt hier schlicht oder vordergründig, weder die Texte noch das Arrangement noch die Produktion. Aber Harris' größte Stärke bleibt ihre Stimme mit ihrer verzweifelten Sehnsucht. Vermutlich hat sie nie besser gesungen als hier." ("MOJO", UK)

"On country legend Johnny Cash's latest release, American III: Solitary Man, his third consecutive studio album under the production wing of studio wizard Rick Rubin, he has used a similar formula to his two previous albums - American Recordings and Unchained . With all the unnecessary trappings of modern country music swept to the side, the songs on American III, like it's two predeceasors, make for a raw, uncluttered acoustic collection of beautifully stirring tales. On American III Cash sings of love, murder and spiritual redemption - three subjects that have defined the Man in Black's dark mystique throughout his career.
Filled with cover songs from unlikely artists such as U2, Nick Cave, Neil Diamond and Tom Petty, Cash effortlessly turns a good number of these into his own. On Diamond's "Solitary Man," Cash delivers the strongest version of this song with his stoic voice and piercing acoustic fingerwork. On his cover of "The Mercy Seat," he takes Cave's dark tale of an innocent prisoner facing the electric chair and makes it seem that it could have only been penned by Cash, while his parched take on U2's "One" works, if only for the fact that it could be covered by anyone and still hold up as one of the strongest pop songs ever. The only unfortunate homage to his unlikely musical offspring is on a lifeless version of Petty's "I Won't Back Down," which is also the opening track of the album - giving a misleading weak first impression.
Thankfully, though, this minor error is erased when Cash turns in rich versions of the country classics "Mary of the Wild Moor," "Wayfaring Stranger" both featuring Sheryl Crow on accordion, and a fragile, bittersweet take on "That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)," a song that won him a talent contest in his youth. Pulling out an old vaudevillian show tune, he strips away the grease paint and stage props with just a sparse acoustic guitar on "Nobody."
The latter half of the album is filled with self-penned numbers such as the hopeful "Field of Diamonds," featuring the shining harmonies of Crow and June Carter Cash, and the poignant "Before My Time." "My hands don't earn me too much gold, for security when I grow old, but we're all the same under the grass. And God's got a place for country trash...I'll be doing alright for country trash," he sings tongue-in-cheek, as he pokes fun at his own Tennessee roots on "Country Trash."
He may have a bit of 'trash' running through his veins, but make no mistake that the music that Johnny Cash has been producing in his latter years, is nothing but pure country treasure." (Tony Bonyata)

„Josh Rouse's second album is titled Home, but don't expect it to provide the security and comfort associated with the place we lay our heads at night. Rather, Home is more about the unspoken longing for one - a distant ache permanently lodged in the marrow of Rouse's hesitantly upbeat roots-pop. Picking up where his 1999 collaboration with Lambchop's Kurt Wagner left off, the record subtly embellishes Rouse's spare, doe-eyed compositions with touches of brass, organ and strings. This instrumental detailing - courtesy of a few Lambchop members, among others - lends Rouse's wistful gazing a certain graceful sophistication, allowing his quiet yearning as much confidence as anguish. "I think I got it all figured out/ I think I've got it made," the Nebraska native declares on the album's hypnotic opener "Laughter," the song's mellow bounce echoing his happy realization. However, on "Afraid To Fail," near the record's end, the songwriter's creeping self-doubt has begun to dismantle his earlier certitude: "Not that I don't want to/ I'm just afraid to fail/ And I don't want to." It's this unpretentious, plainly stated lyricism that makes Rouse's songcraft so warmly inviting, poignantly balancing his fear and desire with hope and resolution.“

(CMJ)

While this follow-up to the excellent Dressed Up Like Nebraska doesn't offer any revelations, it's another dreamy, tuneful effort. Adding more colors to his palette, including horns and strings, Rouse seems intent on beefing up his sound. But he doesn't exactly break out of his trademark ethereal vibe, which causes the album to drag at times.

(by Tim Sheridan, All Music Guide)

Witty hits like "Werewolves of London" and "Excitable Boy" made Zevon the clown prince of the hard-living L.A. music set in the late '70s. More than 20 years later, he's cleaned up his living a lot, but only toned down his lyrics a bit. The title track and "My Shit's Fucked Up" showcase Zevon's ironic pessimism. It's uncertain exactly what "Porcelain Monkey" is about, but this much is certain: once it gets inside your head, good luck trying to get it out. Zevon also does well with others' songs. A wonderfully understated "Back in the High Life Again" eclipses Steve Winwood's original. "For My Next Trick I'll Need a Volunteer" is great, too, but Zevon ought to be paying Bruce Springsteen residuals for copping "The Promised Land."

(by Mark Morgenstein, All Music Guide)

Das vierte reguläre Studioalbum (sieht man von den Mailorder Onlys mal ab) von Neal Casal ist auch sein abwechslungsreichstes. Eingespielt wurde „Anytime Tomorrow“ mit der gleichen Mannschaft, die auch schon bei seinem Debüt zugegen war: Jim Scott (Robbie Robertson, Hazeldine, Whiskeytown, Dylan etc.) als Produzent, Gitarren-Ass Greg Leisz, Bob Glaub (Bass), Don Heffington (Drums) und die alten Kumpel John Ginty an den Keyboards und Angie McKenna als Backing-Vokalistin.
Es beginnt gleich furios mit „Willow Jane“, einem Stones-mäßigen Rocker, bei dem auch direkt ein Bläserriff für mächtig Vorschub sorgt. Mittelschnell geht es weiter, mit „Fell On Hard Times“, einem dieser Casal-typischen, wohligen Westcoast-Rocker. Danach wird es erstmals sehr balladig, ja beinahe lieblich. „Luckystars“ bei Kerzenlicht gespielt, macht ganz sicher das Herz jeder Frau weich. Ein schön feistes Riff leitet das groovige „Sweetvine“ ein, auch hier klassischer Blue-Eyed-Soul mit Hammond B3. Der Casal-Sound wird einigermassen überraschend mit dem folgenden “Oceanview” um die bis dato unbekannte Pet-Sounds-meets-5-D-Byrds-Facette erweitert, inklusive Improvisations-Klangmalerei.
Wenn ein Song „No One Above You“ heißt, dann handelt es sich natürlich um ein Liebeslied. Neal legt seine Seele offen und der Song könnte jede Kuschel-Szene in einem Hollywood-Blockbuster musikalisch untermalen.
Zeit wieder Gas zu geben: Was Neal mit „Eddy & Diamonds“ auch tut. Fünf Minuten zupackender Breitwand-Rock und ebensolche Gitarren. Mit drei semi-akustischen Songs geht es weiter – „Just Getting By“, „Camarillo“ und „Time Down The Wind“, allesamt Beispiele für Neal´s gereifte Songwriterkunst. Mit „Raining Straight Down“ schließt sich ein langsamer, fetter und epischer Rocker an, für mich der beste Song auf dem Album. Beseelt endet das Album mit „Too Much To Ask“.
Nicht so in sich geschlossen wie „Fade Away Diamond Time“, aber auf jeden Fall noch ein klein wenig überzeugender als das ohnehin großartige „Sun Rises Here“ Vorgängeralbum. (Glitterhouse)

Neal Casal´s new album (his seventh in just 5 years) “Anytime Tomorrow” was recorded and mixed over 15 days during the summer of 1999 in Los Angeles. Producing was the esteemed Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Whiskeytown, Matthew Sweet, Wilco), who performed the same function on Casal‘s 1995 debut album, Fade Away Diamond Time. Also returning from those sessions were the in-demand players Don Heffington (an original member of Lone Justice, Emmylou Harris) on drums, Bob Glaub (John Fogerty) on bass, Neal‘s longtime partner John Ginty (Jewel, Matthew Sweet) on Hammond B3 and piano, Angie McKenna, another old friend and frequent collaborator, on backing vocals, and Greg Leisz (k.d. lang, Joni Mitchell) on pedal steel. How interesting that an unheralded artist like Casal could attract such a world-class lineup, and that they‘d all keep coming back for more. Every one of them, including Scott, also contributed to the limited-edition 1997 anthology “Field Recordings”, as well as 1999‘s “Basement Dreams”. The musicians and the producer weren‘t the only talent in the room, either: director Ray Foley (an associate of the Maysles Brothers) and his film crew shot extensive studio and interview footage for a documentary on Casal.

With “Anytime Tomorrow”, Casal set out to make a more diverse rock album then the folkier material on his more recent releases. When asked about the direction of the new album, Casal says „The music I play is rock and roll. Sure, there are elements of country, pop, blues, folk, and other sophisticated musical forms surfacing in my music all the time. But when it gets right down to it, I still feel like the 14-year-old kid in my Stones T-shirt, battered Converse All-Stars, and Gibson Marauder about to step onstage at the middle school talent show. I guess I haven‘t progressed very much after all these years [laughs]. Really, though, I‘ve absorbed everything from bebop to death metal, and though some people may perceive me differently, I‘ll always consider myself a rocker. I accidentally found myself standing next to Patti Smith in a guitar store one day and I saw her staring lovingly at an old Les Paul Junior hanging on the wall. As I was walking away, I heard her whisper to herself, „Man, that‘s a cool guitar.“ It was so great to find out that I‘m not the only one who‘s never gotten over the wicked rush of seeing a guitar and hearing rock and roll for the first time.“

A slight step back from Basement Dreams, although more slickly produced. Some of the songs follow a predictable trajectory, and to these ears there are obvious echoes and borrowing from other artists. The wistful/worshipful "No One Above You" is vaguely reminiscent of Eric Clapton's "Let It Grow." Other standout tracks are "Oceanview," which has a gentle dream-like Beach Boys quality, and "Just Getting By," which could almost be a Ron Sexsmith number. By the time the final track comes around, the excellent "Too Much to Ask," the parlor game of spotting influences is over, and the listener is mindful of a talent worth watching. Perhaps he should cast his net wider than the late '60s and early '70s. When he abandons the seductive Californian stoner persona and gets experimental, angry, or plain reckless, as on Basement Dreams, something exciting happens. A feeling still persists that this is a talented artist who could really catch fire. A little bit of arson or anarchy might actually help here. (by Mark Joseph , AMG)

"The album: Another name for this album might have been: Songs From Continental Europe. That is the place these songs call home. That is the abstraction from which they are born. However, that title would sorely miss the point of this project. This album is not a destination; it is an unfinished, personal journey. It is a quick flare across borders; both imagined and sturdy. It is the faint sound of the train as it turns the corner, away from well-worn landmarks and cultural filing cabinets. This album is a sequence of questions: Why do the trains keep stopping at the same stations? Why do our musical stories seem to travel in only one direction? Why does our luggage seem so worn, when we actually go nowhere? In the end, the only map one needs is the songs themselves. These songs came to us over a period of years. Some arrived in unmarked parcels, some were heard crackling in the night air. Some of them were rumours and some of them were promises fulfilled. All of them came to us shellacked with coincidence and kindness. We certainly must thank the songwriters, the song-givers, the generous musicians, the recordists, and the translators for helping us to pull this album together. Without them, we would still be waiting for the same old train."
- Chris Eckman, Seattle, March 19, 2000

The Walkabouts' second collection of covers comes with a quite definite theme, a musical tour of Europe, ranging from Greece in the South all the way up to Norway. And it's most definitely a journey, one which suits the darker, more introspective, and very literate nature of this Seattle band. But the ground covered is more than geographic; not many bands could move from Greek icon Mikis Theodorakis to Krautrockers Neu! on the same record. But the Walkabouts, whose career has largely happened in Europe, handle it with aplomb, throwing up plenty of changes in arrangements and working hard to penetrate to the core of a song, even the enigmatic "Solex in a Slipshod Style," on the face of it an odd choice, coming from Dutch sampling queen Solex. A few of the writers might be familiar to Americans, like Jacques Brel and Scott Walker, but the majority of the names will be unknown -- a good thing, since the music can be judged on the interpretation, not the original version. A few famous friends, like R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Los Lobos sax man Steve Berlin add contributions, but it's the band who make it special, with Carla Torgerson's velvety voice caressing the lyrics while Chris Eckman worries his way into others. It might not be the most relaxing journey on offer, but it's one of the most rewarding, a night train across a Europe, not only through the countries, but also the hearts, minds, and souls.

(by Chris Nickson , All Music Guide)

“Über weite Strecken von `Transcendental Blues´ kracht und poltert es wie seit den denkwürdigen Tagen von `Copperhead Road´ und `The Hard Way´ nicht mehr. Macht immer noch tierischen Spass. Aber Earle wäre nicht der große Americana-Zampano, der er nun mal ist, würde er nicht von seinen Ausflügen der letzten Zeit wunderbare Zutaten für seinen ureigenen Stilmix mitgebracht haben. Und so gibt´s zwischendurch sogar irisches Folkgefiedel (`Steves Last Ramble´, `The Galway Girl´), allerdings in der robusten Gangart des Chefs; und auch wieder reinrassigen Bluegrass (`Until The Day I Die´), gefolgt vom knochentrockenen Riff-Rocker `All Of My Life´; zum krönenden Abschluß dann noch eine von diesen typischen, zur Akustikgitarre vorge-tragenen und mit ein wenig Mandolinengesäusel verzierten Gänsehaut-Balladen: `Over Yonder (Jonathan´s Song)´. Keiner versteht sich derzeit so gut darauf, die wichtigsten Roots-Stile mit der Energie und Dynamik des Rock`n´Roll zu verbinden. Und wer dabei auch noch so viel charismatische Personality rüberbringt wie dieser knorrige Mittvierziger aus Fort Monroe, Virginia, den darf man getrost zu den ganz Großen zählen.” (ME/Sounds. 5 Sterne)

Caroline Now!
The Songs Of Brian Wilson And The Beach Boys / Various Artists (Aug. 2000)

Das Marina-Team arbeitete 3 Jahre an der Zusammenstellung dieser 24 Song-Compilation (78 Minuten), die sich vor allem den eher unbekannten Tracks aus Brian Wilson´s Schatzkästchen widmet. Alle Songs sind exklusiv eingespielt worden. Mit dabei: Eugene Kelly, Alex Chilton, June & The Exit Wounds, The High Llamas, Camping, The Free Design, Pearlfishers, Saint Etienne, Eric Matthews, Chip Taylor, Norman Blake, Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra, Malcolm Ross, Jad Fair, Aluminium Group, Secret Goldfish, Stevie Jackson (Belle & Sebastian), Kim Fowley und andere.
Das ganze kommt mit einem prachtvollen, 28-seitigen Booklet und ausführlichen Linernotes, einem exklusiven Interview mit Brian Wilson, vielen raren Fotos und historischen Hintergründen zu den einzelnen Beiträgen.

Komplettes Tracklisting nach dem englischen Text.

„Coverversionen scheitern regelmaessig daran, dass altbekannte Lieder mit zu viel Ehrfurcht und zu wenig Ideen nachgeleiert werden. Das Beach Boys-Tribut-Album 'Caroline Now!' ist eine Ausnahme. Da werden exzellente Stuecke von Brian Wilson und Anhang so phantasievoll und versponnen vorgetragen, wie es den Autoren gebührt. Das besorgen Pop-Legenden wie Kim Fowley oder Alex Chilton und Fast-Pop-Stars wie Saint Etienne und The High Llamas. Und im Booklet beschwört Obersurfer Wilson die heilende Kraft der Musik. Wie wahr!” (Kultur Spiegel)

Almost three years in the making and one of Marina´s most ambitious project is finally completed and it is - believe us - simply fab: Caroline Now! celebrates the songs of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys with a main focus on their lesser known gems. The aim was to create a different kind of tribute album - one that avoids the obvious hits and delves deep into the treasure trove that is the "undiscovered work" of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys - including previously unreleased material.

The compilation features exclusive contributions by such eminent Wilson-o-philes as Alex Chilton, Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub), Kim Fowley, Saint Etienne, Katrina Mitchell (The Pastels) and Stevie Jackson of Belle & Sebastian, The Pearlfishers and Eric Matthews. Most of the tracks appear in quite different sounding versions than the originals. Further highlights include The High Llamas' electronica version of "Anna Lee, The Healer", Eugene Kelly's Spectoresque reading of "Lady" and Peter Thomas' bizarre and truly unique take on "Pet Sounds", the classic album's instrumental title track. A small sensation on "Caroline Now!" is the contribution by legendary sixties pop group The Free Design. They have reformed especially for this occasion with their first new recording in almost 30 years!

The 24-track-CD, total playing time: 78 minutes, is accompanied by a 28 page full colour booklet featuring extensive liner notes, historical information for each song and an exclusive interview with Brian Wilson, who has already given the project his blessing. Many rare and previously unpublished photographs complete the booklet - shot by David Dalton, who was very close to The Beach Boys, in the late sixties and who used to share a house with Dennis Wilson.

Get ready for some good, good vibrations!

”The selection both of the 24 songs and the artists can only be called 'exquisite'.” (Rolling Stone)

Tracklisting:
Eugene Kelly: Lady
Alex Chilton: I Wanna Pick You Up
June & The Exit Wounds: All I Wanna Do
Katrina Mitchell & Bill Wells: Wind Chimes
The High Llamas: Anna Lee, The Healer
Souvenir: Ne Dis Pas (Girl Don't Tell Me - French version)
Duglas T. Stewart: Lines
Camping: Busy Doin' Nothin'
Stevie Jackson: Good Time
The Free Design: Endless Harmony
The Pearlfishers: Go Away Boy
Saint Etienne: Stevie
The Radio Sweethearts: Honkin' Down The Highway
Eric Matthews: Lonely Sea
Kle: Rainbow Eyes
Chip Taylor & Evie Sands: Let's Put Our Hearts Together
Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra: Pet Sounds
Malcolm Ross: Heroes & Villains
Norman Blake: Only With You
The Aluminum Group: Caroline, No
Jad Fair: Do Ya
The Secret Goldfish: Big Sur
David Ritchie Coalition: Good Timin'
Kim Fowley: Almost Summer

John Hiatt's 16th effort is a marked departure from his work of the previous 25 years, and a vast improvement over 1997's disappointing Little Head. Hiatt retrenched and recorded his first drummer-less, predominantly acoustic record for Vanguard. It's a sympathetic match and a smart move, since the company has a long, rich history working in the unplugged medium before it became trendy. The result is the most natural and relaxed John Hiatt album in years, and a welcome addition to his extensive catalog. With just a duo of acoustic multi-instrumentalists, Davey Faragher and David Immergluck (both longtime associates), Hiatt pulls out some of the most earnest, down-to-earth songs of his career. He sings like a man rejuvenated, totally at ease with his surroundings, and plays with the laid-back, homespun honesty that has infused his best work. Although some comical lyrical touches remain, the majority of the album is a sober reflection on lost love ("What Do We Do Now," the title track) and the resulting psychological scars. Hiatt's voice has never sounded better; its coarse edges sometimes straining for high notes works perfectly with this craggy, unpolished music. The mandolin is the most distinctive instrument here, and its brittle, trebly, crisp tone gives the disc an underlying tension, especially on the ballads that comprise the majority of the album. Heart-rending, sincere, stripped down yet multi-faceted, John Hiatt has taken a step forward by taking a small step back. Although not quite in a class with career highlights like Bring the Family or Slow Turning, Crossing Muddy Waters is a subtle treat and an album whose watercolor brush strokes paint a vibrant picture of stirring delicacy.

(by Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide)

"At this point, Merle Haggard's musical territory is staked out and grazed to the nubbin: slow, sauntering ballads, up-tempo country boogie, occasionally a little Western swing. No string sections, no synths, no exclamation marks. Staying clear of the clotted, market-tested production of the Nashville A-team studio players seems to keep him alive; still, his recent records, self-produced and made in his own California studio, have been a bit plain, enshrining his time-ravaged voice with a bit too much open, untreated space. If I Could Only Fly, his first for the punk label Epitaph, is no different. But what a lyricist he still can be. All the songs emanate from a single persona, an aging, cloistered singer (Haggard is in his sixties) whose routine -- avoiding drugs, taking comfort from cushioned bus seats, being honest with his kids -- is all he has. In "Bareback," a song about surviving the road after the romance of it goes away, he warns a woman that she'd better look out for his comfort. But this isn't some male-chauvinist guffaw; it's about age, not sex, and it's so unromantic that by its sheer honesty it achieves tenderness. The album isn't quite Sinatra's September of My Years, but the man's songwriting control is exemplary. There's nothing mytho-poetic in boredom, and weariness is one of country's cliche themes, but Haggard finds a middle road that's unusual for country: self-acceptance, totally free of bluster or self-pity." (Rolling Stone US)

"Das Debüt der drei kanadischen Grazien wurde in diversen Zirkeln immer mal wieder positiv erwähnt, nun endlich konnten auch wir unsere Zähne reinschlagen. Wären die Autos auf dem Cover zirka 20 Jahre älter, wäre hier alles passgenau für eine Harry Smith Compilation, oder eine Zusammenstellung von Musik aus den Appalachen. Im Gillian Welch Dustbowl-Chic präsentieren sich Frazey, Samantha und Trish, eine Fidel und ein Banjo wie zufällig dabei, aber auch ein Schminkstift. Und ein Kleid, zwei Nummern zu klein.
Aber wie bei Frau Welch ist das spätestens nach dem ersten Song über jeden Bandwagon-Zweifel erhaben, so natürlich und von allen modernen Einflüßen unbeleckt rollt das aus dem Boxen. Akustikgitarre, Fiddle, Banjo, Mandoline, ganz sparsam gezupfter Bass und die Felle nur kurz abgeschrubbt, alles kommt äußerst naturbelassen und klingt nach (höchstens) dem zweiten Take. Zwei Mädels singen die erste Stimme, Trish ist nur für den Background zuständig. Um sich selbst kreiselt der Gesang, schöne und kräftige Stimmen, die auch wenn sie mehrfach kommen, zuerst immer auf Emotion bedacht sind und dann erst, dass alles auch gut zusammen passt. Es fällt mehr oder weniger von allein in die richtigen Stellen.

Das erinnert von der Stimmung her an oben genannte Gillian Welch, auch an frühe Freakwater, begeistert mit vielen eigenen Songs und der Tatsache, dass sie gerade solchen alten Juwelen wie „Oh Susanna“ oder „The Coo Coo Bird“ neues Leben einhauchten (was ich nicht mehr glauben mochte)." (Glitterhouse)

"HGH steht für Haugen, Gebhardt und Hagfors, drei Norweger aus Bands wie Hellbillies, Motorpsycho und Home Groan (in dieser Reihenfolge), die sich zur Aufnahme dieser 10 Songs und 34 Minuten für zwei Tage in einer Berghütte eingeschlossen haben, um ihrer Liebe zu Bluegrass und Country zu fröhnen. Ein Mikro haben sie aufgestellt, sich drumrum gesetzt und ohne Drums und Overdubs aufgenommen.
Dabei sind alle drei erstklassige Instrumentalisten und wer Lars Haugen hier auf unserem Orange Blossom Special an der elektrischen Gitarre gesehen hat, der hat einen der besten norwegischen 6-Saiter bei der Arbeit beobachtet (Haugen spielt auch in einem Septett namens Whipping Post, Norweger die die klassischen Allman Brothers nachspielen, „nur besser“ wie mir ein Allman-Fan versicherte).
Das Ergebnis ist ein recht abwechslungsreiches Album (alle drei schreiben und singen), daß Einflüße von Westcoast-Folk, Mountain-Bluegrass, an irische Weisen erinnernde Balladen und kleine humorige Einlagen (von Motorpsycho´s Gebhart) gekonnt verbindet." (Glitterhouse)

Wo der sehr schöne Titelsong mit einem Harmonium aufwartet, singen auf "Never Said When", die Mitglieder der Rockband Gomez im Backing-Chor mit und kommt "I Wait For You" schön romantisch daher. In der Single "I've Seen Some Things" geht es darum, dass man einen Menschen nicht nach seinem Äußeren beurteilen sollte und der Eröffnungstrack "Walks With Me" hält die Lebensweisheit "There is nothing you can do about your past" bereit. Wo Hobotalk gelegentlich an James Taylor erinnern, bringt die Spex-Kritikerin auch noch John "Countryroads" Denver ins Spiel -- da hat sie nicht ganz Unrecht.

(Thomas Bohnet, www.amazon.de)

Diese Scheibe ist ein wenig irreführend angelegt: Alles - der Bandname, die wunderschönen Landschaftsaufnahmen auf dem Cover, das Booklet, welches besagt, daß Frontmann Mark Pilley die Songs auf einem Harmonium aus den 30er Jahren geschrieben hat, und auch die ersten Takte des Openeres “Walks With Me” -, alles deutet auf eine solide Blues- oder Folk-Scheibe hin, dann jedoch entwickelt sich aus den spartanischen Anfängen ein unglaublich melancholisches Mainstream-Pop-Album. Das ist nicht unbedingt schlecht, da mit Herz und Gefühl präsentiert, aber in bezug auf das trügerische Marketing-Konzept eher verwirrend. Auf der Habenseite zu verbuchen: eine angenehm relaxte Grundstimmung, solides, einfallsreich arrangiertes Songwerk und diese soulige Leadstimme von Marc Pilley. Leider trübt den Gesamteindruck die Tatsache, daß die Geschichte ohne große Höhen und Tiefen dahinplätschert und frappant einen bleibenden Eindruck vermissen läßt.

(Ullrich Maurer, www.intro.de)

The title of Hobotalk's first album is Beauty in Madness, but the title is slightly misguiding. It could as well, or rather, have been self-titled, since without being a concept album, it is a continuous story of wandering. According to some interviews it is Marc Pilley's own, with the turning point on the album represented by the song "Jackdaw." The album is full of romanticized hobo life, starry skies, people unable to settle down, and memories following them around on their trips. And since it lacks a humoristic twist but relies on sentimental and emotional narration, it could easily have become pathetic. But Marc Pilley manages to make it sound genuinely honest without embarrassing listeners. At times the songs even get intensely beautiful, like on "Never Said When," being grateful for the nights not being cold. The whole album goes in a slow Neil Young-ish Harvest Moon tempo, with acoustic guitars, slow organs, and sparse drums. An occasional foot stomping on wooden boards and an occasional Dobro guitar give a country atmosphere, but the album has more in common with the American singer/songwriter tradition. And accordingly, Marc Pilley's voice and the stories he tells are the main attractions here, even though the other instruments are often delicately arranged.

(by Lars Lovén, All Music Guide)