Search - James Mcmurtry :: Saint Mary of the Woods

Crystal Meth and Bathtub Speed

Greg Cleary | Marquette, MI United States | 02/18/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After the slight letdown of "Walk Between the Raindrops," McMurtry waited four years to record his next album. The time off has done him some good. "St. Mary of the Woods" may not be in the same league as "Where'd You Hide the Body" or "Too Long in the Wasteland," but it is an improvement over its predecessor and holds its own with second-tier efforts like "Candyland" and "It Had to Happen." Yet somehow, comparisons are beside the point with McMurty, as each album offers a new set of characters, familiar yet unique. "Saint Mary of the Woods" continues the trend toward darker, more fatalistic material. It begins with "Dry River," which sounds like the quintessential McMurty tune even though he didn't write it, with the narrator recalling childhood moments spent standing in a concrete-lined riverbed, dreaming that he's soaking wet. There is a constant juxtaposition of tradition with modernity. The people in these songs don't make moonshine--they cook up crystal meth and "bathtub speed." McMurtry can sound bitter at times. "Red Dress" is the low point of the album, both musically and lyrically, as a particularly loathsome character spews out insults (including the old chestnut, "I'm drunk but you're ugly") accompanied by a monotonous two-chord riff. And the narrator of "Choctaw Bingo," an otherwise likeable and fun tune, reveals his true nature by crudely expressing his wish for a menage a trois with two of his second cousins. At such times, I wonder if McMurtry is going a little too far to bring his characters down. One thing's for sure: Nobody is going to accuse him of being cute. But he may be accused of being cynical at times. Still, "St. Mary of the Woods" is an enjoyable album with a stronger, more consistent backbeat than any McMurtry album to date. Melody, as usual, is suitably restrained, and the band settles into a great Southern boogie groove, throwing in just enough ballads to balance things out. It's not hard to believe, as another reviewer wrote, that these songs are even better performed live. The reviewer who compared McMurtry to Mark Knopfler was clearly on the right track. I would suggest, however, that Knopfler and McMurtry merely have some common influences. Each of them, no doubt, has listened to lots of J.J. Cale and read a lot of books. "Saint Mary of the Woods" is a welcome addition to the McMurtry catalogue, and fans will not want to miss the classics "Valley Road," "Out Here in the Middle," and "Choctaw Bingo," which at eight and a half minutes is McMurtry's first epic. This is an album that you can live with, and that will continue to grow on you with each listen."

Worth the Wait

Richard Flynn | Statesboro, GA USA | 09/22/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"McMurtry produces himself for the first time and the results are stunning. There's a brightness and an edge to these tunes about the impoverishment of the American landscape. Dave Alvin's "Dry River" sets the tone for the McMurtry originals that follow about a heartland given over to "bathtub speed" and "Starbucks--what else you need?" for "corporate relo refugees." In some ways it's "Levelland" without the poignancy. But as McMurtry's songs make clear, we live in far less poignant times. Don't get me wrong--there's beauty here: the title cut is haunting in its atmospheric evocation of the limitations of nostalgia.I love McMurtry's work and had been wondering when we'd hear from him again. This one is worth the wait, indeed."

Amazing

King of Rawk | Austin, Texas | 02/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"James never ceases to amaze me. Living in Austin and having the pleasure to occasionally talk with McMurtry, I can say that his remarkable songwriting is only exceeded by his extreem modesty. Saint Mary of the Woods isn't just a record, it paints a picture. It's like a novel in music form. The lyrics are thought provoking and the music is intelligently written. James seems to have this innate ability to write folk songs that, simply stated, rock. Unlike those many, many songwriters out their that call their music modern folk, when they are simply just doing boring rip-offs of their predicesors, McMurtry constantly reinvents the way folk music is to be viewed (or listened to that is) with every album, and Saint Mary of the Woods is no different. The title track of the album pretty much somes up the way I see McMurtry as a songwriter: complicated, yet so simple. I must add too that the production of this record is top notch."