Customer Reviews

Blue Sky

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Brian Hennenman, the Bottle Rockets lead singer, lead guitarist, and principal songwriter has been on the scene with this band for the past 10 years and counting. And I swear, this man is just a lyrical genius! He is so pure, so honest, truthful, and heartfelt in his words, that they can make you laugh or cry in every single song that he sings. Everybody thinks about what this man sings, but nobody ever puts it into songs (or atleast any songs that are worth hearing). This is quite possibly the best record the Bottle Rockets released to date, and it's funny to say that because I always find myself saying that after every Bottle Rockets new release!!! This band just keeps getting better and better.
The album kicks off with Lucky Break, which is probably Brian's most humerous lyrics to be put on record (it's not about nor a break-up song either). Followed by Man of Contast Anxiety, Cartoon Wisdom, and Baby's Not My Baby Tonight, Brian and Co. are just hittin' the note all the way. Brian has a few heartfelt moments through the record, especially in the song Mom & Dad. (On a side note: I remember seeing Brian Henneman perform solo a few years back at this bar in Chicago, and the last song he performed was this, Mom & Dad. He explained he lost both his Mom & Dad during the holidays the year before, and when he performed that song live in concert with just him and his guitar, at the end, there was not a dry eye in the house, not even Brian could hold back the tears. It was quite indeed one of the most powerful, heartache songs dedicated to loved ones I ever heard. I am glad he included it here, as it is still powerful to hear now, he has added some additional instruments to give the song some much needed backbone and to take away some of the chillyness as he performed it alone. Another tearjerker is Cross By The Highway. Again, just another deep lonely sad song about a cross by the highway. The lead vocals are handed off a couple of times to recent newcomer, Robert Kearns on bass. He lends his voice to I Don't Wanna Go Back and The Last Time. Both songs fit perfectly into the Bottle Rockets repitroire, both songs hit homeruns to me.

Also, Govt Mule and Allman Brother fans may want to take note, that Warren Haynes (along with Michael Barberio) produced this record, and Warren perfomed slide guitar on about 5 tracks. That is all, Warren did not write or sing vocals on any of the material.

The Bottle Rockets are a Pure American Rock N' Roll Band. They are a bit of country, a bit of rockabilly, but 100% pure American Rock!!!!

I've followed these guys for years, & I always hear their so-called die-hard fans complaining about one thing or another. When "Brand New Year" came out, they were whining. When they did a tribute to Doug Sahm, the knives were out in full force. Now? Well it seems the critics don't like the style of this disc either. My advice? Stop calling yourselves fans, and follow another band that doesn't have the balls or creativity to do anything different. As for this disc, it ranks up there with their best material. The songwriting is as strong as ever. Sure some tunes are different, but what do you expect, the same stuff over and over? It may not be "Brooklyn Side" but what is? (...)

I have every Bottle Rockets CD to date, I enjoy everyone of them.
I seen them live in Champaign Illinois in November 2003 and They
blew me away, Every song has been written from the heart and really touches home to me. Blue Sky is now my favorite Cd. I play in an alt country band and I plan to add even more Bottle Rockets songs to my set list !!! I can't say enough about Brian Henneman's strong vocals and his ability to get such a great tone from an old Pevey guitar. I noticed he had Billy Joe Shaver's autograph on his guitar and that confermed what I already knew....This guy has great taste !!!!!You can't go wrong with Shaver or the Bottle Rockets.

The Bottle Rockets have long-been one of the hardest-rocking bands of the so-called alt-country movement. With "Blue Sky," the once-dubbed "Best Bar Band in America" has turned out an introspective and sometimes irreverent record that makes an evolutionary leap from its previous work and may be the band's best album since the critically acclaimed "The Brooklyn Side." The songs on "Blue Sky" range from the travails of the working class in Middle America ("Lucky Break, "Man of Constant Anxiety") to reflections on a world changed by the huge events of 9-11 (Baggage Claim) and more personal tragedies, such as losing your parents (Mom & Dad). Much of the music still rings with the Rockets' signature guitar sound and some of it still rocks but additional instrumentation, including steel guitars, dobro and organ create a lush, rich sound. One for the longtime fans and a record that may even garner the band a new following. Also if you haven't seen them live, check them out. New member John Horton helps make these songs shine on stage.

Wow! This was such a find for me four years ago. I had no idea who the Bottle Rockets were, I had just heard one of their songs on a local station and loved what I heard. The whole CD is great. It's folky-rock with great lyrics and REAL musicians! I bought it again for my brother as a gift. Can't go wrong here!!

I love the Bottle Rockets, but this isn't their best work. Some really good songs but some duds too.

They're done...

Brian Henneman needs to move on. This band, once the best of the Uncle-Tupelo-spinoffs, is now mellow, blues-rock, MOR, insipid. Where once they rocked, now they groove, and lightly. Their music is so cheezy these days one would swear they were Canadian.

Avoid at all costs, unless you are a completist, and if you're reading this, you probably are. If so, read on.

The album's highlights include "Mom and Dad," "Pretty Little Angie," and "Lucky Break." The first is a tender ballad to the singer's deceased parents, performed country-fashion, and quite moving. "Pretty Little Angie" is a nice rocker, reminiscent of the band's former sound before they lost rhythm guitarist Tom Parr (who would have thought that he was so instrumental to their sound?) "Lucky Break" is a working man's blues about workman's compensation. It's good stuff, understated and Warren-Zevon-like, and recalls early masterpieces like "Welfare Music" and "Kerosene."

The lowlights include "I Don't Wanna Go Back" and the "Last Time," schlock written by new bassist Robert Kearns (first heard on Brand New Year's awful "Bar's on Fire.") These songs feature horrible lyrics, soft, uninspired arrangements, and such a general lack of personality that I find there's little to say about them. Trust me, they stink. The rest of the songs are similarly forgettable, save the title track, which is a catchy-if-tacky number inspired by the Lovin' Spoonful.

In sum, get this if you have to hear how it all ended. Otherwise, catch a Brian Henneman solo show and get the real deal, sans the cheesy arrangements.

I was a flag-carrier for these guys in the nineties, having lived for quite a few years in a small town just down the road from Festus, MO and having come in on the Uncle Tupelo thing when Brian was still a roadie with the band
The 'Rockets were my favorite, having made the classic 'Brooklyn Side' and the even better '24 Hours a Day', which was so loaded with great music they put out a small LP called 'Leftovers' to release the rest of the songs from that session (my copy of '24 Hours...' was signed by Brian and Beatle Bob at a concert in St Louis where the noon heat at the outdoor show was 100 degrees but there was only a few of us standing on the walk in front of the band and they'd play everything we'd yell out 'til we got drunk and were calling for repeats having exhausted their catalog)
Yes, many fond memories of a solid band... they rocked like nobody's business
I'da been satisfied with an album as good as 'Brand New Year', but this wasn't as good as 'Sahm's Songs'
Very disapppointed

just buy it, you won't be sorry!

After having been "the biggest BoRox fan alive" since their debut record (yeah, I know there are hundreds of us) I couldn't believe the turn they'd taken with this new record. Long story short, without Eric "Roscoe" Ambel at the helm producing, leader Brian Henneman seems to have completely lost focus. Here's hoping the band returns to they roots and get back to making great music again, with or without Roscoe. Hope...