Search - Freakwater :: Old Paint

Not for Every Taste

James Carragher | New York | 12/24/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Old Paint is a throwback, music so roughhewn that you might expect to hear it on a scratchy 78 in some Appalachia cabin. This is mostly a matter of Freakwater's commanding vocals, intricate harmonies woven in almost hoarse, edgy voices of sleepless nights and smoke. It's a sound that works best for darkness, death, and dirges that make up the bulk of the songs here, but can also be surprisingly effective on upbeat numbers like Kentucky Home. When Freakwater sings, on Gone to Stay, "shovel, dirt and gravel/all his mother hears is the sound/of a little baby crying/somewhere in the ground," the words stay with you for a good long while. Not a CD you'll want to play when you need cheering up, and the singing goes shrill (Hero/Heroine) at times. But if deep, old-style country is one of your musical tastes, talented Freakwater should be heard."

Simply brilliant

C. Gibson | Chicago, IL United States | 09/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Here, listen to this," my buddy said to me, slyly, as he handed me a copy of OLD PAINT. Wow. I was blown away. This is amazing stuff, kind of what Hazel Dickens would write for a crowd of Gen-X'ers. At first you wouldn't think Janet and Catherine leave anything to the imagination, yet while their songs are explicit in describing some pretty harsh realities, they are multi-layered, and can withstand hundreds of listenings while still seeming fresh. "The Waitress Song" is a masterpiece, "Gone To Stay" grabs your attention and doesn't let go, and "Kentucky House" is so darn much fun, I grin whenever I hear it. From that tentative "Here, listen to this" has grown an enthusiasm that knows no bounds. If you're tired of boring pop and think that Garth is just a rocker with an oversized belt buckle, grab a copy of OLD PAINT...this stuff is good for you!"

After you listen you'll wonder how you lived without it

August Lamczyk | Springfield, IL | 02/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I try to be open to all music but I do lean to what folks call alt-country and not regular country. Now to me the later seems well like some kind of a mass produced dumb down southern rock/top forty hybrid and the former like the real deal... lyrically heartfelt, honest, and a bit depressing with a sound that well sounds like country of old, or maybe it'd be better to just say a stripped down sound. This CD was my first exploration with the critter known as Freakwater and I was hooked from the get go. The album is so rooted in reality that it was often played by me to get through tough emotional, financial, drunken, fill in the blank times (John Prine was the other country artist that was leaned on as well). Buy this album if you are just baffled by the lack of solid song writing in any genre."