Vanderpool Rocks!
Richard Bjorklund | Frisco,Texas | 11/05/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I love the sounds of Greg Vaderpool on lead vocals. His style is unique and touches my heart. Writing his own music gives an extra touch of closeness. Rock on Vanderpool!"
A Good Reason to Move to Texas, II
James Carragher | New York | 10/02/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"An alternative title could have been Mope Along with Mapes. Mapes, by the way, is a band, not an individual. I read somewhere it was named after the head honcho's (Greg Vanderpool) grandfather. Their nearest contemporaries in sound are Uncle Tupelo, Jay Farrar's Son Volt, and the Canadian alt country band, Blue Rodeo. Their elder statesmen models are Dylan and Neil Young, a debt Vanderpool nicely acknowledges when he sings in Palo Duro, quoting "'Last night I danced with a stranger/But she just reminded me you were the one'/Somebody else one time said it better/I think Dylan but it might have been Young." Nothing new about the songs' themes -- losing love, moving on, and drinking ruining relationships. Excellent lyrics, sometimes rocking hard-edged playing and Vanderpool's expressive singing redeem those old themes, however. The best cuts are The Only Sound That Matters, Palo Duro, and the beautiful Silverbell, which plays like almost an homage to Merle Haggard's classic Silver Wings. Obscure, regional, but very worthwhile, Westernaire is a buy."
One of the best bands to come out of Texas
fullerton3333 | 09/03/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I saw these guys at an event at UT, and they were absolutely hands-down amazing. They didn't have much of an audience there, but they still completely rocked. I went home and got a copy of their CD and listened to it, and I was hooked. The best way to describe them is a mix of Neil Young and Bob Dylan but with a pinch of country and a lot of kick. If you listen to the demos, you get a taste, but to really appreciate them, you have to listen to the songs from beginning to end."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1