Grapevine

I See Hawks in L.A. | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 3, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Western Seeds Record
• ASIN: B0002LJTKY
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,671 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Hope Against Hope

2. Humboldt

3. Libre Road

4. What's Done is Done

5. Texarkanada

6. The Salesman

7. Hitchhiker

8. I Stayed Away

9. Still Want You

10. Wonder Valley Fight Song

11. Harvest

12. Grapevine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Americana music, August 14, 2004

By 

kbarth17 "bjm" (Luckenbach, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grapevine (Audio CD)

When you think of great Americana music your mind drifts along the lonely roads of Gram Parsons and more modern standouts such as Uncle Tupelo. I See Hawks in L. A. continue that tradition with their outstanding release Grapevine that blends country, cosmic space music, rock, and California roots music. It sounds alot like Sonvolt and that is not a bad thing, but I See Hawks in L.A. is truly an original. Buy this album and head cross country to experience it's music and live the pursuit of the cosmic space journey. Gram never quite found it, but his followers have picked up the trip.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should Not Be Missed, January 24, 2006

By 

R. Watson "Music Lover" (Delroy, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grapevine (Audio CD)

Fantastic feel good music that should be heard by everyone. This is their second release and I hope there are many more to come. Do yourself a favor and get this CD if you can find it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Motel California . . ., November 9, 2005

By 

Ronald Scheer "rockysquirrel" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grapevine (Audio CD)

I got to see this band at California Plaza in downtown LA on a recent lunch hour, and they just blew me away. LA WEEKLY has picked them as the Best Alternative Country Band, and it's a joy to share the great pleasure they bring to playing their own compositions in the California country rock tradition. This CD captures much of that spirit and adds a good many studio touches to sweeten the mix.

The CD kicks off with an eco-conscious number, "Hope Against Hope," and establishes some of the dominant styles of the whole set: haunting steel guitar, strong vocals, literate and elusive lyrics, soulful harmonizing, and wonderful fiddle flourishes. It evokes escape from the city and images of the open road.

The rest of the CD segues from one style of country rock to another, with cameo influences you can trace to Talking Heads, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, The Eagles, The Byrds, Jimi Hendrix, and Grand Ole Opry. The lyrics of some songs are elliptical ("Humboldt"), while others tell stories that focus on an experience, a person, and a set of feelings ("Hitchhiker"). While one song is a slyly humorous hung-over love song ("Still Want You"); another verges on hysteria and paranoia ("Wonder Valley Fight Song"); and another reaches for Revelations-inspired weirdness and a kind of gleeful melancholy. "I Stayed Away," with its sorrowful lyrics and upbeat tempo is a great two-step dance song.

The title song, "Grapevine," comes last and celebrates the northbound exit from LA along I-5 over the Tehachapi Mountains to the San Joaquin Valley. It's a fitting ending to this great collection of songs that features place names from all over the country, references to open roads, 18-wheelers, and American cars. Fans will also enjoy Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen's "Way Out West."