Search - Lonestar :: Coming Home

Coming Home IS Like Coming Home

Ladyhawk | USA/ New Zealand | 10/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I always enjoy Lonestar with their down-home morals and uplifting songs. I've never missed a concert whenever they are within driving distance.

Just watching them, one can see how much they enjoy thier work. Listening to them, one can tell how much they love their families. Where else can you find that combination, in such a dynamic group?

This Cd is the best ever. Delivering, once again, the very best of Lonestar!

They are a group for All ages, which is evident when you see the crowds at their concerts.

Lonestar is what True Entertainers are all about.

Not since Neil Diamond started have we seen a group This Good!"

One of their best!

DanD | 09/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lonestar's last album, LET'S BE US AGAIN, was a charged pop-country effort that left little to the imagination, fueled mainly by vocalist Richie McDonald's incredible singing. COMING HOME finds the band broadening out; they're still the pop-country group that contemporary radio listeners know them as (their first-two albums all but forgotten), but this time the songs are well-crafed, well-performed, and mostly un-cliched.



Okay, I'll get the 3 duds out of the way first: "I'll Die Tryin'" is another powerhouse ballad in the vein of "Amazed;" if that's your cup of tea, go for it; otherwise, it's pretty typical fare. The lyrics in "Wild" play out so true to form that you can sing along even if you've never heard the tune before; and "I Just Want To Love You," while better than the two afore-mentioned duds, still lacks any true resemblence of heart and passion.



Now for the rest of the album. The opener and first single, "You're Like Comin' Home," is a picturesque romp that you just can't help but listen to and sing along. "I Am a Man" is not as cliched as one would think, and is one of McDonald's best performances on the album; "Two Bottles of Beer," "Noise," and "What's Wrong With That" are some good-time fun songs that are truly enjoyable. And Sara Evans's harmonies on "I Never Needed You" make the song even better than it would've been originally. The album ends with the quirky, country stomper "When I Go Home Again."



There ya go. Overall, COMING HOME is one of Lonestar's best efforts; certainly, their best since LONELY GRILL. But that's only for those of you who go back that far. For the newer fans, just know that this is one of the best releases of 2005, and that these four guys have the talent and experience to make some great (modern) country music."

+1/2 -- Catchy contemporary country that's not too pop

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 09/28/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I'll admit that I didn't expect to like this release nearly as much as I do. I assumed that it would be catchy-yet-indistinct middle-of-the-road country-inflected pop. And though it is catchy, and it does drive a bit towards the centerline, there's a tremendous amount of heart and craft, with vocals that are a lot more country than pop. The band's new producer, Justin Niebank, streamlined their sound, allowing the electric guitars to soar, but reducing the overall instrumental footprint (particularly the drums) in a way that keeps from obliterating the vocals.



There's no mistaking that this came from Nashville, but not the sort of factory product one would expect from such high-flying hitmakers. The opener rings with twin acoustic guitars and moving vocal harmonies that sound a bit like The Delevantes, underlining the album's thesis statement: home is where the heart is. The songs lack the sort of drama, strife and hard-times one normally associates with country music, opting instead to essay the comforts of family, friends, work and living in a close-knit community. The few minor traumas - the singer's wandering eye and late poker night in "Doghouse" - are more "aw, shucks" than "oh, no!"



Introspective songs and societal observations like "I Am a Man" and "Noise" carry some of the flavor of Rodney Crowell's recent trilogy of albums, if perhaps not the philosophical depth, and "Wild," though a bit perfunctory in the lyrics department, has a nice bit of '70s grit in the playing. The album sticks mostly to mid-tempo numbers, with ballads that include the warm romance of "Two Bottles of Beer," and the sprightly bluegrass closer, "When I Go Home Again." This is an exceptionally pleasant album, smoothed out for the mainstream's listening pleasure, but much more than another flavorless cookie from Nashville's bakery. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]"