Moon Over the Freeway

The Ditty Bops

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 23, 2006)
• Original Release Date: May 23, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000F8OII2
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,666 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
A singing duo of Amanda Barrett on mandolin and dulcimer, and Abby DeWald on guitar, this is the second release by The Ditty Bops. They draw liberally on genres of yore, hopping from western swing to vaudevillian theatrics, jazz, and folk music. They mine a vein similar to what Dan Hicks was doing with his Hot Licks in the early seventies, though their compositional sensibilities embrace a wider realm. Sympathetically produced by Mitchell Froom (who also plays keyboards, though the dazzling turn at the piano on "Aluminum Can" is by Greg Rutledge), they're joined by some of the finest players to be found in Los Angeles, including the ever-apt percussion of Elvis Costello's longtime drummer, Pete Thomas. While the title song opens the set on a quaint note, by the third number, "Fall Awake," it becomes clear that The Ditty Bops are not to be pigeonholed. The set's one cover, Boudleaux and Felice Bryant's "Bye Bye Love," is sweet but breaks the parade of their own resonant and mysterious songs. --David Greenberger

Product Description
"Combining a magical attic’s worth of dusty musical idioms, iridescent golden harmonies and a quirky lyrical worldview, The Ditty Bops provide a refreshing antidote to the misbegotten, soul-grinding notion of thinking you know what happens next.... Abby DeWald (guitar) and Amanda Barrett (mandolin/dulcimer) embody the simple Saturday afternoon pleasures—of thrift store finds and getting lost in the library—with their amalgam of ragtime, jazz, vaudeville, Western swing and folk, but it would sell the Bops short to lump them in with nostalgia-driven absolutists." (Austin Chronicle) The Ditty Bops are different, way different, and that makes the singing-songwriting-playing duo of Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald special. On their second album, Moon Over The Freeway, co-produced by Mitchell Froom (Suzanne Vega, Crowded House, Elvis Costello) as was their 2004 self-titled debut, The Ditty Bops are strangely, wonderfully captivating.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's The Ditty Bops' World (We're just along for the ride), May 25, 2006

By	Anne R. Eason "J Eason" (Deep Gap, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As I write this review, the intrepid Ditty Bops are beginning their bike and music tour from LA to NY. Go Amanda! Go Abby!
I caught the Ditty Bops on the dance stage and Americana stage at MerleFest last month in Wilkesboro, NC. Totally smitten, I bought their debut album, produced by none other than Mitchell Froom. My wife then purchased for me the Ditty Bops risque Bikes & Bikinis 2006 Calendar. I speak for both of us when I say, "Va-va-voom!"
Moonlight Over the Freeway continues the Ditty Bops' collaboration with Froom, a producer (Suzanne Vega, Los Lobos) who knows how to put his own stamp on a project while letting the musicians do their thing. Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald are amazing singers but it is their songwriting which has really taken off since the debut album. Their unique 21st century cabaret sound soars on cuts like "Nosy Neighbor" and "Aluminum Can." The instrumentation is clear and nearly 100% acoustic with odd accordions, toy pianos and lap steels joining the guitar/mandolin party. The album has 13 cuts, not a clunker in the bunch. The sole cover is a sweet harmonious version of the Everlys "Bye Bye Love."
As a final note, The Ditty Bops are complete entertainers. They enjoy the entire process--from the music to the costumes to the stage presentation. They also have the best website of any new act out there. Check out the Femme Fatales of Fun! You'll be glad you did.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Angels with an attitude, August 19, 2006

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The Ditty Bops stalwartly ignored the typical pop conventions in their self-titled debut -- and they continue ignoring in "Moon Over the Freeway," their second album of jazzy folky ragtimey cabaret pop.

This time around, the Ditty Bops try out some new sounds -- blues and country rear their heads every now and then -- without losing their enchanting sound or their catchy li'l melodies. In other words, this original duo does not have any signs of a sophomore slump.

The title track starts off the album with visions of summer nights melting into autumn, road trips, and fun with your friends. "Moon over the freeway catch us as we ride/We just left the city, left it far behind/Silhouettes of palm trees, airplanes cross the moon/Living in the moment of the girl who left too soon," they croon over the banjo and guitar.

That whole cheerful-folky sound continues with "Angel with an Attitude" ("I've got a chip on my shoulder/and a halo on my head!"), before changing to a more meditative, slow-moving sound in the languid "Fall Awake," and a string of bluesy, soft-edged little folk ballads.

By the middle, they're dabbling in country-western flavours in the jazz pop, before fortunately switching back to the psych-folk of "Growing Upside Down," ragtime dance numbers, and a trio of folky numbers that finish up with the accordion-pop of "Your Head's Too Big," which I will have to send to my ex-boyfriend.

Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald are getting a lot more attention with their second album, courtesy of a song on "Grey's Anatomy." Well, they richly deserve the mainstream attention -- their pop music is rich in creativity and talent, and even their least imaginative songs (I just don't like country, okay?) are still solid and enjoyable.

Amanda and Abby create a number of haunting, earthy little melodies that are filled up with every instrument their songs can handle -- guitars, banjos, toy piano, tambourine, mandolin, dulcimer, accordion and what sounds like old hand bells.

They also mishmash different styles, which creates sounds like country with a cabaret flair, or jazz with a folk edge. That offbeat sound carries over into their vocals, which are almost harmonized perfectly. Their pretty voices are just out of sync enough for you to notice that there are two of them.

The best part is the songwriting -- no fluff or cliches in these songs, just good solid songwriting with a witty, surreal edge, and a knack for producing memorable imagery. For example, in one the girls muse that "Your head's too big/It grows like a balloon... And if you're unluckier than that/Someone such as myself might come along/And it just might pop." Top that breakup song.

The Ditty Bops continue turning out wonderful music in "Moon Over the Freeway," and make them one of THE new-ish bands to listen to. Delightful.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous cd to clean your house to..., May 27, 2006

By	Marvelous Marv "Mary" (Lexington, KY) - See all my reviews

Most "lesser-known" artists put out a great debut cd, then a [...] follow-up that sinks their potential to reach more fans. But the Ditty Bops now have 2 superb cd's as far as I'm concerned. I work in a bookstore that sells cds, too, and I'm peddling "Moon Over the Freeway" so hard, my co-workers are starting to hate me. Too bad!