Strong Roots
L. Albarado | Millington, TN USA | 04/10/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Heard Laurie and Cary do most of this one live at the Hi-tone in Memphis in mid=March. Bought it on the spot after one of the best shows I've seen in years (second only to Alvin Youngblood Hart two weeks before BM's set). Cary played like a man possessed. Laurie's vocals were superb. (This was the third time I've seen them live -- and no question, the best.) Something about the Hi-tone and Mempho makes musicians shine. Anyway, this is a great CD and has replaced Homegrown as my favorite Blue Mountain effort."
Rocking folk from the heart
Jerome Clark | Canby, Minnesota | 03/25/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Blue Mountain's take on American folk music is informed, passionate, and engaging. As any number of mediocre recordings have documented, folk music is a whole lot harder than it looks. To do it justice, to make it real, you have to get inside it and speak from its heart. Roots is music from the heart, and it never misses a beat. I'd heard every song but one (Bill Carlisle's "That Nasty Swing") in its traditional form, and the formidable competition notwithstanding, Blue Mountain has made each its own. It even manages to transform the old parlor ballad "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes" (whose melody graces a number of subsequent country songs, most famously Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side of Life") into a rock-and-roll song, something I would not have imagined possible. The past year has seen two other memorable fusions of American folk and rock, by the Tarheel Ramblers and Dave Alvin. This CD holds its own in that esteemed company."
Move over Dave Alvin
James Reckling | Roanoke, Va USA | 03/17/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Most Blue Mountain fans favorite BM cd is Dog Days. However mine was Homegrown- until now. Roots is a finely chosen, well played collection of songs that are primarily now in the public domain. Much like Dave Alvin's latest BM puts a contemporary spin on these tunes. Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair has some nice electric guitar on it. That Nasty Swing is a swinging blues number. There are celtic influences in several of the songs also. I have heard Alvin's latest and in my opinion this totally outshines it and it now is my favorite BM cd."