Carry Me Back

Old Crow Medicine Show | Format: MP3 Music

Product Details

• Original Release Date: July 17, 2012
• Label: ATO Records
• Copyright: (c) 2012 ATO Records, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
• Total Length: 37:01
• Genres:
  • Alternative Rock
  • Rock
• ASIN: B008B1C6OI
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,086 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, Nostalgic, Alt-Bluegrass Americana July 17, 2012

By T. A. Daniel TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:MP3 Music

Old Crow Medicine Show's hiatus didn't last long: announcing the break around August 2011 only for it to be concluded by December 2011. The hiatus came with change though -- founding member Willie Watson and mandolist Cory Younts parted ways with the band, and founding member Chris Fuqua rejoined for recording. Even though the member lineup may have changed, the band's sound for CARRY ME BACK stayed largely the same (Willie is featured on many of these tracks).

Marked with stand-up bass, fiddles, mandolins, and acoustic guitars, Old Crow Medicine Show has a very old-timey sound. The band pulls the sound off well, pleasing both fans of folk and bluegrass. Opening and title track "Carry Me Back" is a brisk, bluegrass tune that is both a great way to start the album and good message-statement to the world. The album follows the pace set by this title track: CARRY ME BACK stays upbeat, and its brisk pace makes the album over before you even know it. That's not too say the album feels too brief (the album is 37:01) -- it just feels like a bunch of friends having a good time. When the band slows its pacing for a few songs, it's to good effect ("Genevieve" and "Ways of Man.") While the band feels somewhat anachronistic in the modern day, they do a good job sounding like authentic pre-World War II musicians.

CARRY ME BACK will please both newcomers to the band and longtime listeners. Fans of the folk-based sides of Mumford and Sons, Trampled by Turtles, and the Avett Brothers might enjoy what Old Crow Medicine Show has to offer. This album also marks a good place to start listening to the band -- even though the music is very niche, it's very accessible. However, if you weren't convinced by the band's past work, this album won't change your mind. Standout tracks to sample/download: "Carry Me Back," "We Don't Grow Tobacco," and "Genevieve." Although past efforts might be a bit more consistent (like O.C.M.S.), CARRY ME BACK is a great entry to the band's discography.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars DEAR MUSIC APPRECIATORS August 2, 2012

By Andrew H. Lee

Format:Audio CD

Dear Music Appreciators,

I know of a pretty famous and oft-awarded pop bluegrass band that uses multiple lead singers, and honestly I get nervous whenever they switch away from their star vocalist because I'm afraid I'm not going to like those songs as much. Not so with Old Crow Medicine Show. For one thing, this isn't pop bluegrass is it - this sounds like some kind of cocaine fueled punk rock hillbilly house party.

OCMS seem to be a band in the best sense of the word. Not only are the members playing and harmonizing like a tightly-knit family, but they also have three outstanding lead vocalists - kind of like an all male redneck Fleetwood Mac I guess...but hopefully without the affairs. ..

There is an urgency, confidence, and authenticity to this music that is contagious. Notice the double-time tempo right out of the gate on album opener (and title song) "Carry Me Back." On "We Don't Grow Tobacco" there is something haunting about the singer's swaggering sadness, and when I heard the lines "I would chop that wicked weed / till our hands and fingers bleed / working like a mule, maybe more" I knew I would be hooked for the rest of the album. Then comes "Levi" - a touching, down-home, sing-along story song about Iraq war casualty Leevi Barnard. Three songs, three different flavors, not a phony second to be found - it's appropriate that the band name contains the word "show" - because just like an old-timey variety show the band seems to be care that its audience has a good time and there is a little something for everyone here.

And that's just the first quarter of the album.

This album made me feel like I was wearing a wife-beater with my hair slicked back and a cigarette behind my ear driving a beat up classic car fast down a dirt road in the deep south with the windows down.

Buy this, and get in touch with your inner hillbilly.

Sincerely,

Constant Listener

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A band in transition July 18, 2012

By Rushmore TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Garrison Keillor calls them an old-timey band, and that they are. It's bittersweet to hear this record and know that their sound will be significantly different from now on.

My personal favorite is Big Iron World, and this CD is not up to that level. Carry Me Back focuses more on the sizzling fiddle and less on the soaring harmonies. However, it's a good time, and there really isn't a weak track in the bunch.

The title track, Carry Me Back to Virginia, is written from the perspective of a soldier who fought with his brother in the Civil War. Track 3, Levi, extends the theme by portraying a country boy who fought and died in Iraq. Although the songs deal with classic tragic themes, the music is lively and inspiring. In fact, many of the songs here are pretty downbeat if you just focus on the lyrics, but the music lifts you up.

My favorite song is Country Gal. It is the lightest in tone and comes out of nowhere with a snippet of Hey Good Lookin' by Hank Williams. I love songs that you can sing along to the very first time you hear them.

The songs on this album reward continued listening. The lyrics are strong. These boys tell a good story, and each song is really a little party. The exception would be the final song, Ways of Man, which is more reflective and much quieter. It's an interesting way to end the album.

My favorite part of this band are the harmonies. You can't really get much better than OCMS singing I Hear Them All. The harmonies here are not as sustained or jubilant. Still a worthy addition to their canon. I really hope the group can evolve after the departure of Watson and Younts. Nobody else really does music the way they do, they have created their own niche. Mumford and Sons, Trampled by Turtles, Avett Brothers have similar characteristics, but to my mind OCMS inhabits "old-timey" like no one else.