Mixed Results
applewood | everywhere and nowhere | 01/08/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I'm conflicted about this recording and new direction of Tony's. I love his instrumental treatments (lots of 5 star guitar, slide, and banjo here), but his songwriting leaves me a bit flat. It reminds me of Sam Bush's stuff (honest, sincere, unpretentious), but not as honed as Sam's. These songs veer just too close to mainstream pop/rock/country for my tastes. I would have liked to hear more intrumentals as he has so much talent for playing and interpreting great tunes. I just feel it's obscured and diluted here by his immature songcraft.
For the committed fan - by all means get this and see the direction he's exploring now. For the new listener I'd recommend any of his earlier recordings (especially like AMERICAN GYPSY -both the studio and live versions), and wait and see what he does next."