Search - The Bottle Rockets :: Lean Forward

Buy this record now !!!

Douglas A. Scott | Milford, NH USA | 08/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bottlerockets' fans should be rejoicing !

Rock 'n Roll fans should be buying this record without hesitation.



Lean Forward contains top notch songs that compare favorably

with their past efforts...Whoever said that their sound is like

"Woodie Guthrie & Crazy Horse" has got it right.



I've played this CD through from beginning to end five times in the first 48 hours after buying it.





Call me crazy but I can see the song "Kid Next Door" turning into a live tour de force ( sp? ).....Slow, intense, angry, sorrowful burning... not unlike a 20 minute attack on the senses that Neil & Crazy Horse have done to us with "Cortez the Killer" on many nights.



Why am I the first to post a review ?

Perhaps others are still stunned and recovering from their first

listen to this record.



Raw, honest, in your face and tugging at your heart.................. Long live the Bottlerockets !!!"

Turn it up, grab the wheel, and lean forward

Jay Vee | Atlanta, GA | 08/14/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
The Bottle Rockets are back again with their newest release "Lean Forward." The title suggests the idea of engagement, something this album does well. From the first blazing notes of "The Long Way" until the slow fade to black ending of "Give Me Room," Lean Forward engages the listener with well crafted songs, crisp tones and production (thanks to producer Eric "Roscoe" Ambel), and clever lyrics that speak in simple terms, diving below the surface to uncover images of real life in middle America. On "Nothing But a Driver," songwriter and frontman Brian Henneman sings about working a job delivering cars for a wage that "might lead some to suicide." It begs the question "am I happier than you are? I guess I'll never know..." allowing the listener to consider how one might define personal success. Another high point of the record is the track "Hard Times," a realistic and yet optimistic look at life when the bills are late and the well is dry. Singing "I'm not broke down, I'm just out of gas" reminds us that hard times do in fact come and go, and we do what we can to get through.

Other excellent tracks include "Get On The Bus," a raucous foot stomper that's as much CCR as it is dixie, with choice slide guitar work by guitarist John Horton.



I've been a Bottle Rockets fan for a few years now, and this release is like a blast of fresh air through the heavy summer haze. In pure rock ethic, it rivals earlier releases like The Brooklyn Side and 24 Hours a Day; in complexity and emotion it rivals the 2006 release Zoysia (Stephen King's top pick of the year).



If you've never heard the Bottle Rockets before, this is as great a place as any to discover just how much of a gem this band is to American music.

"

Open your eyes

Howlinw | California, USA | 08/15/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Brian Henneman's Bottle Rockets have been around a while, and as Brian and company have stepped gracefully into middle age their music has grown with them. This is tough rock n roll in the most traditional sense, a melodic blast to the gut that you can sing (or shout) along with. Henneman's music sounds startlingly unique however, due in large part to a lyrical perspective that blends wisdom with humor and provides enough details to make the stories feel very real. Henneman is a national treasure and it's a shame that the Rockets aren't better known. In a year of great releases, this will be in my top 2 or 3 faves. It'll also stick with me for years to come. What a way to close out the summer - a gift for the fans and a record for the ages."