Customer Reviews

I-10 Chronicles

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This disc actually does a good job of capturing the feeling of traveling along I-10 through TX, NM, AZ and CA, and the different musical cultures one encounters. It's a feeling I know -- I live a mile from the highway in question and drive it to work each day, and have traveled to Houston and other destinations on I-10. (In fact, I first listened to the CD while driving on I-10.) The collection has performances from some familiar people like Willie Nelson and Joe Ely, plus some I've never heard of (Bill Hearne, Meredith Marshall) but will look for in the future. They do pleasant and real versions of songs that talk about traveling, and life at various places along the road. Besides the expected country and roots-rock flavors, there are dashes of Mexican and Native music, adding spice to the blend. My only minor quibbles are: (1) what's Cuban musician Eliades Ochoa doing on the album? I-10 doesn't go anywhere near Cuba! and (2) how can the song "Everybody's Talkin'" be used on both this project AND the "Bleecker Street" compilation from last year? I don't think it works equally well for summing up Greenwich Village in the `60s AND the modern US southwest! (I think "Bleecker Street" was the right place.)

Outside of Adam Duritz's cover of "Carmelita," Joe Ely's "Saint Valentine," and Bill and Bonnie Hearne and Willie Nelson's "Eighteen Inches of Rain," there's not much here to write home about. However, it is all quite enjoyable. Put this in the car and start driving, because that's what this is for.

I heard this CD playing in a music shop. Call it luck and I bought it right away and will never be sorry. It introduced me to Bill and Bonnie Hearne and I get to hear Carmelita which I first heard Linda Ronstadt sing. There's not a recording on this CD that I don't like. I wish all compilations were this excellent.

as a fan of new mexico's bill and bonnie hearne,i bought this cd to hear these new recordings.all the tracks are great.especially ely and duritz.if you have bought bill and bonnie's last cd on warners,then get this.unlike the last review,new mexico rain is a million times better with the harmonica.look out for sarah nicole too.

I have listened to the I-10 Chronicles at least a dozen times and have realized why it is so great. 5 words, "He Don't Care About Me." I have loved the song for years, but never has it been sung and performed so well as by Sarah N. I hope we hear more from her and these musicians in the near future.

Solid the whole way through, the I-10 Chronicles explores America across the southwest. Who cares if its not the longest interstate, it certainly is the richest. Bill and Bonnie Hearne, from Austin originally, and longtime Santa Fe residents, prove why they are considered to be the founders of the Austin music scene. Look for a full length CD from Bill and Bonnie on Virgin soon. This CD will surely rank at the top for 2000. Picks- LA Freeway, Bill and Bonnie with Emmylou Harris on Backing vocals, Adam Duritz with a bittersweet version of Warren Zevon's classic.

la to jacksonville fl,and this record is brillant...thankfully i didn't take note of the editorial review as i heard a track on radio.your reviewer can't even get the facts right.bill hearne plays on 3 cuts not 4,and frankly i would love to know what is ultrafamilar with songs like 18 inches of rain and the ochoa song.anyway,buy the cd and you enjoy a work of art.

i wasn't sure what i was getting when i bought this album.when i first played it,i enjoyed it but wasn't bowled over.then after a couple of more plays,i feel this is one of the best albums i have heard in the last couple of years.its a must buy!the production is brillant and the playing is fantastic too.hopefully more albums will follow this one.

Take Carmelita; at a Cuban Dance; some bayou blues; a native lament; and traditional southern easy rock plus classics from southwest music (like L.A. Freeway) and you've got I10 Chronicals. The pickin is superb-- acordeon, harmonica, and guitars galore. Background vocals take a backseat but they wouldn't have to. NM Rain without them loses some of its charm. You can't go wrong! It's a great disk!

If you are like me, a lot of music gets by you for a number of reasons, lack of time, lack of access, nobody plays it , etc. I spend considerable time researching and getting some of the out of print stuff before it disappears, best example being "Largo", a great album from the 90's produced by the Hooters team.

Don't let either of the "I-10" Chronicles get away from you and pick 'em up used while you still have a chance. These are superb collections of some of the best American songs and artists in the country. Although the concept is flawed, that it is a musical ride of the stylings you might find along Interstate 10, that is easily overlooked by the quality of the artists. Personal favorites are Bill and Bonnie Hearne, Dave Alvin, Joe Ely, John Hammond and the Blind Boys of Alabama. So of your tastes are a little more mature, and can range from rock to blues to folk to Americana to Gospel, grab volume 1 and 2 while there are still some out there to grab.