Search - The Band :: Jericho

Welcome Back

A. Woodward | Massachusetts | 07/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is an overall mournful tone to the music on this disc, but its original appearance in 1993 was a cause for rejoicing among fans of the '60's-'70's group known as the Band. Three of the founding members of that quintet got back together with a shoestring budget and some younger personnel to produce this small miracle of an album. (A fourth founding member, Richard Manual, who had died in 1986, is also represented by an archival track of him singing "Country Boy," as well as by a song written as a memorial to him, "Too Soon Gone," beautifully sung here by Rick Danko.) The separate musical identities the now-middle-aged musicians had established are reflected in the eclectic choice of material, but the re-formed group performs as a cohesive and skillful unit. Highlights include a couple of bluesy rockers ("Remedy" and "Stuff You Gotta Watch"), covers of Dylan's "Blind Willie McTell" and Springsteen's "Atlantic City," the aforementioned "Too Soon Gone," and a catchy gospel number, "Shine a Light." "Amazon," a tale of environmental degradation featuring another fine vocal from Danko, would also make the highlight list but for the obtrusive jungle screeching sounds overdubbed onto the track -- but that is the only significant error of judgment reflected on the album. If you care more about good honest music than about styles and trends, you should definitely give this record a chance."