Remember, the working title included "...with Crickets."
emilyss@mediaone.net | New York, NY | 08/18/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"We lost Buddy Holly way back when, but the Crickets are still around, fronted by...Nanci Griffith? Apparently. So this cd is a little different, lots of covers, and stuff arranged and produced beyond what we usually get with the Blue Moon Orchestra (read: less intimate, less nuanced, less of the old Nanci we know and love). Except, what's weird about that is that the Nanci/BMO tracks on this album are the weaker ones, and the only really listenable tracks are the big ol' rollicking cover tunes, like "Battlefield" and "I Fought the Law" and "Morning Train" -- all of which are a lot of fun.The reinvention of "Gulf Coast Highway" with Darius Rucker is okay, though the original with Mac McAnally off "Little Love Affairs" is the canonical version of this song -- not to mention the great cover version Emmylou Harris did! So, I'm not sure we needed a reinvention of GCH, but since it's here, it's fine, and Hootie-fronter Darius Rucker holds his own.Nanci's story-songs here, though, are what drags my review down. She likes to say "Not My Way Home" is her favorite song, and it IS probably the best of the originals on this cd (I love the vocalization, "my feet have TREAAAD upon that-a road yoooou're on..."), but that's not saying a terrific amount.So, it's worth listening to for "Battlefield" and "Morning Train," and REALLY worth listening to for "I Fought the Law," which is a song just BUILT for Nanci to have a good time with, and she does.And Sonny Curtis and the Crickets make an interesting addition to Nanci and the BMO, but when it comes down to it, I want my old Blue Moon Orchestra back."
Artists have to grow right?
Bluegrl | Riverview, FL, USA | 04/01/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"this is definetly way more rock than ive heard of her before. there are a few notable songs on this cd, but for the most part I just hit the skip button. still for die hard fans those few songs make the cd worth having"