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Umphrey's McGee - Jam Or Prog.....I Say A Mix Of Both

Steven Sly | Kalamazoo, MI United States | 06/04/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Umphrey's McGee came out of South Bend Indiana building a loyal following mainly by constant touring. The band straddles the line between jam band and progressive rock often being compared to bands like Phish and The Grateful Dead. Personally I was never a big fan of either of the above mentioned bands, but I enjoy most of what Umphrey's does. I really think it is the prog element of this band that brings their sound more to my personal taste. One thing that this album demonstrates is that this band can pull off just about any musical style there is. They are all over the place stylistically with plenty of instrumental fireworks to please jam and prog fans alike. The vocals are nothing spectacular and their lyrics are serviceable, but nothing mind blowing (better than Phish's however). Highlights include "Andy's Last Beer", "Ringo", "Prowler", "Uncle Wally" and "Nothing Too Fancy". This album seems to come the closest of their studio discs to capturing the band's live sound, although live many of these tracks are stretched out far beyond what you hear here. I give this one a solid 4 stars."

Umph's=Greatness

JamPhan | Philadelphia, PA USA | 12/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tyler, clearly you don't much about good musicianship. This band, especially the guitarists are the some of the best musicians around today. Umphrey's is not trying to be anybody, that is the most inaccurate statement i've heard in awile. In fact it's the opposite, they blend soo many different styles and genres, from blues to jazz to reggae to rock, that you cannot put a finger on their music. They can play anything and they are the tightest band around right now. Go see them live and you will be amazed and don't listen to "tyler""