Search - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band :: Welcome To Woody Creek

"Woody Creek" Welcoming

T. Yap | Sydney, NSW, Australia | 09/21/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Prime Cuts: Walking in the Sunshine, Any Love But Our Love, Forever Don't Last



Before current stalwarts like Emerson Drive and Rushlow jumped onto the 70s-style country pop bandwagon, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is sui genesis. Again, rousing guitars, tight knitted harmonies and West coast breezy tunes earmarked the Dirt Band's latest CD and their debut for Dualtone Records. However, recorded at Woody Creek, Colorado, where the "long horizons (are) lit by eerie dawns and dusks of pastel alpine glows," a sense of serenity and rustiness also pervades throughout the album. Sonically similar to the Dirt Band's 1994 "Acoustic," there is an acoustic underpinning to these songs. Nevertheless, still sounding utterly contemporary, the Dirt Band is the lodestar as to how country music should be done.



Opening the disc with the perky and sunny Kostas/Jeff Hanna penned "Walking in the Sunshine," Hanna with a delightful tilt in his voice sings about basking in the euphoria of falling in love. "Forever Don't Last," though a regrettable lament on the transient nature of love, careens a rousing Eagles-like sounding melody boasting some excellent guitar riffs. Even better is the superbly catchy "Any Love But Our Love," one of just two co-writes from the Dirt Band's Bob Carpenter. Carpenter's other co-write with fellow band mates Hanna and Ibbotson, is the jovial "Party on the Mountain"-a bluegrassy square dance number that wouldn't be out of place on a Patty Loveless or Dolly Parton album.



With some tender vocals up front, Gram Parsons' "She" is a stately, poised and pensive ballad in tribute to the lady of the protagonist's dreams. Also in the ballads department, "Old Time's Sake," a plangent "can-I-have-the-last-dance" number is another stand out. Exquisitely delivered with a nuance that reaches to the recesses of heartbreak, it's another testament that only a seasoned band like the Dirt Band could be capable of accomplishing.



The Berg/Kregel penned popish "It's a New Day" is the vanguard single. Marked by a poignant message of buoyant optimism in the face of the deuces of life, "It's a New Day" is lyrically acerbic. Though Matraca Berg (who also happens to be Mrs. Jeff Hanna) is a top notched writer, melodically "It's a New Day" is not strong enough to contend for the much needed (and coveted) radio air plays to be a hit. Similarly forgettable is the bluegrass cover of the Beatles' "Get Back." "Get Back," in my opinion, is too contrived and too repetitious for my liking. The album closes with an instrumental "Midnight at Woody Creek," a jamming session where it's more for the delight of the players than the listener.



The Dirt Band has had its ups and downs in their lengthy odyssey in the music business. Their numerous albums have had reflected such a ride. I must say "Welcome to Woody Creek" with its high caliber of songs marks another high point in the Band's musical journey. Though not perfect, it's a fine return to form."