Customer Reviews

Cruel Sun

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm probably biased writing this review since I grew up listening to Rusted Root in Pittsburgh. I've never heard any band like them and that is a rare thing. I'm on my fourth copy of this CD, having worn out the others. This CD never gets old. The Root strayed from their original raw acoustic sound in future albums. When I Awoke is their first outing on a major label, it's good but not great. Crual Sun is great. Just buy it and you'll see.

This one is five stars for a completely different reason than why "When I woke" is a 5*. WIW was awesome because I was finally hearing the music that I knew was out there somewhere. This cd (released only last year-surprising because I feel like it's been with me a long time) is possibly the best headphone album of the last 20 years. Not all time, I still like beatles and zepplin for that honor, but cruel sun just flows!!!!!!!!!!!!! Im sure you will agree, there is nothing worse than an album that gets going strong, but then a second tier song is around track 6 or 7 and the rest of the album just seems like filler. Do what you do, throw the headphones on and hit 'play'. they really do the rest with this one, a gem all the way through. With a brand new album coming in april (now thats work ethic!) get to know this one before there's even more great music on the rusted root table!

Ah Rusted Root! A good old-fashioned jam band, unaltered by commercial popularity. This newly remastered version of their original, self-produced album reminds us why we love this band so much. A definate keeper for anyone who loves RR and hasn't gotten their first album yet. And my personal recommendation -- if you love this band -- go see them live. I've seen them twice, and they are by far and away the best band I have ever seen live. Amazing drum breaks, great banter, and music that frees your soul.

Rusted Root "broke" when "Send Me on My Way" got tons of radio airplay on their first commercially released CD. However, before that, the band had released independently "Cruel Sun," which is moodier, more ambient, and, to my ears, more enjoyable than their "commercial" debut.

Here, the interplay of Jim Donovan's drums are front and stage, and the music swirls in and out of his playing. On later CDs, the drums propelled the music, but they were secondary to vocals and guitar.

I bought this "on spec" years ago, not having heard any of it (they didn't "music previews" in CD stores back then). I immediately loved it and it has remained my favorite Rusted Root CD.

I don't know what happened and why this band didn't maintain a higher profile. I loved them so much I drove from Tucson to Las Cruces, NM, to see them at the H.O.R.D.E. Festival in, what, 1993 or 1994? The one with Lenny Kravitz, Blues Traveler, etc. They came on early (Blues Traveler was THE band-o'-the-moment), and my wife and son were burning up in the heat, so after their set, we just left. At the gate, we were told if we left we couldn't come back in. I said, "That's OK. I saw Rusted Root and that's who I really wanted to see." I still have a picture of me in tie-dye with my then 1-2 year-old son also in tie-dye sitting on my shoulders with the band in the background. It was his second concert (or show, to we Deadheads) -- his first had been the pre-Supernatural comeback Santana at the Pima County Fairgrounds a few months earlier.

But I digress. This is a nice CD and if you like Rusted Root's slickly produced commercial releases, check this out. It's great "zoning out in bed with the iPod on as I fall asleep" music.

As an electronic music fan, I've always been a stickler for recording quality and a technically refined sound. Well guess what? This disc has neither and is about the most charming thing I own. It hasn't left my changer since I got it. The songs are very rough - many of them have seen more refined versions appear on later Root albums - but nothing except perhaps for When I Woke has the same kind of jam band charm as this disc.

A perfect blend of clever lyrics, beuitful harmony, mind expanding percussion, and pure fun.

I definitly enjoyed Cruel Sun. This is probably the best album Rusted Root has come up with. It has that slow rock all the way up to quick folk. It is truely hard to describe the music other then fantastic.

although most folks are more familiar with when i woke, cruel sun is really the band's best effort to date. released in 1994 by pittsburgh indy blue duck, the album represents the raw talent and primal appeal that the root had in the early 1990s at the start of their career. worth the purchase price!

I have been listening to Rusted Root for quite a while now, and somehow had never listened to this CD. I never knew what I was missing. This CD is great. It not only has a great version of Send Me On My Way, but the Cat Turned Blue is amazing. The song Won't Be Long is one of my personal RR favorites now. I would recommend this CD to any RR fan.

in no way can one classify the sound of rusted root into one genre. it is unique, so much so that i'll be redundant and say it's very unique. if you haven't heard their music before, imagine taking an african, an american or englishman influenced by rock & roll, one from the land of a billion people, two women with a feminist spirit and a shaman, give them instruments with which they are highly skilled, and let them play. that will sound something like rusted root. who gives a feck about the lyrics?, albeit they aren't bad.