After a bit of tinkering these bluegrass outlaws have emerged from the garage soot-smeared, short of temper and ready for beer with their third CD. Steel yourself for the trademark souped up hillbilly barrage. "Never Make ... more »it Home" features SLR's bluegrass underground sound, tick-tight playing and even a few sing-along anthems.« less
After a bit of tinkering these bluegrass outlaws have emerged from the garage soot-smeared, short of temper and ready for beer with their third CD. Steel yourself for the trademark souped up hillbilly barrage. "Never Make it Home" features SLR's bluegrass underground sound, tick-tight playing and even a few sing-along anthems.
Kevin L. Nenstiel | Kearney, Nebraska | 05/17/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Kansas may be the flatest state in the Union, but they've produced some sharp artists through the years. Split Lip Rayfield is just one such, a kick-ass bluegrass ensemble that plays traditional music with one of the sharpest edges out there today. In a day and age when Oh Brother Where Art Thou threatens to trap bluegrass in a Depression-era museum case, Split Lip Rayfield plays string band music for the new milennium.The only unifyning theme on this album is the undisputed picking power of the artists. It's all string music--no keys, no drums, just strings. But there's no risk of it all sounding the same. From upbeat rockers like Kiss of Death to honky-tonk beauties like Drink Lotsa Whiskey, country chestnuts like Love Please Come Home to iconoclasty like Dime Story Cowboy, this album never gives you a chance to take the band for granted.Split Lip Rayfield is famous for their live shows, and of course an album can never match up to that. Still, this is shimmy music for Hell's own square-dance. If you want a string band album that will make you jump out of your chair and scream for more, this is it."
Split Lip Rayfield Delivers!!
Anthony Bickel | San Francisco, CA United States | 07/18/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ther aint many albums out there that can turn heads asking,"Who is this"? and make people(like myself) call the radio station asking. Split Lip delivers such an album. I have their other two, and recommend them highly, but this is the one to have. This record shows the bands maturity in their song writing skills and their harmonies have never sounded better. It is a beautiful thang!"
Bad luck never sounded so sweet
Alayne Peterson | Wisconsin, USA | 03/22/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is get-drunk-and-dance-around-naked music from my favorite speed metal bluegrass band. I've been looking forward to this release ever since I saw them last summer; many of the songs I couldn't get out of my head back then are on this disc. The playing is as taut as ever--aggressive yet loses nothing in pickin' technique. The sounds that Jeff Eaton can coax out of Stitchgiver (the gas tank bass with a weedeater string) never fail to amaze me. Five of the 14 songs are penned by their mandolin player, Wayne Gottstine--including the song has stuck with me since last summer, 'Used to Call Me Baby' -- "Nighttime drives me crazy/I bang my fists on the wall/She used to call me baby/Now she don't call at all." Damn. That's the kind of country blues that makes you sit down with a bottle of whiskey..'Drink Lotsa Whiskey'. Good thing there are plenty of quick-pickin' songs to go around; Kirk Rundstrom's lightning fast playing fits seamlessly with Eric Mardis' relentless banjo on songs like "Thief," "Kiss of Death," and the title track "Never Make It Home." Keep an eye out for them--it's not often you get to headbang to acoustic music."
They just might make it...
M. Nichols | West Chester, OH United States | 03/05/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I'll admit it - I was worried about Split Lip Rayfield. I enjoyed the one and only Scroat Belly Album - it was dark and dirty; you could almost smell the music. SLR's self-titled debut was a refreshing step in the evolution - you could still smell it, but it felt cleaner. 1999's IN THE MUD, however, stood stagnant, and I really expected SLR to fade into the growing masses of "one-act" alt-country bands. Thank the gods, then, for NEVER MAKE IT HOME.
NEVER MAKE IT HOME is not necessarily a slower affair, but a definite maturity abounds. The entire album is marvelous - standouts include "Movin' to Virginia," "Used to Call Me Baby," and "Drink Lotsa Whiskey" (and check out the lightning-fast solos on "Kiss of Death"). Instead of the trademark (and increasingly tired) fast-and-loose style, SLR move to a fast-and-tight style on this record and approach the mood and expert musicianship exhibited by labelmates Devil in a Woodpile. Combine this with SLR's sly lyricism and you've got an emerging act that not only holds their own against Bloodshot's Meat Purveyors and the aforementioned Devils, but also approaches Waco Brothers territory. I can't wait to hear what's next."
Think the cd is great...you should see the live show!
Sarah loves Split Lip | Denver | 11/23/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Never make it home is my favorite Split Lip album. The title track is awesome. See them live... you won't believe it!"