Noble Creatures

Gourds | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 10, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Yep Roc Records
• ASIN: B000R7I2BA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,062 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Gourds at their most mature...and consistent, July 24, 2007

By 

Mark Blevins (Lindside, WV United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Noble Creatures (Audio CD)

I'd heard the Gourds before, but wasn't knocked by them. Their new disc is nothing short of spectauclar. It sounds like a more mature band than before; Promenade aches like a classic country ballad. How Will You Shine employs horns in a tune about how to face the dark times in life, and I can't stop listening to it. Moon Going Down is just a gorgeous mid-tempo tune.

That's not to say the guys aren't having fun. The Gyroscopic simply kicks, along with A Few Extra Kilos and Cranky Mulatto (which has a great cajun/zydeco sound). The demented country shuffle Red Letter Days sounds like some 50s honky tonk outtake; it might be my favorite track.Before this disc, the other Gourds material I heard was good, but the entire albums weren't of this quality. I haven't heard all their albums, but I'm familiar with their past three.

It's hard to describe this music; people keep comparing them to The Band, but the Gourds are so much more fun and enjoyable to listen to. They mix rock, folk, country, and blues into a stew. I can't label it; it's just good music, and I hope more people hear it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's the singing, August 26, 2007

By 

R. Erickson "gourds fan" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Noble Creatures (Audio CD)

I've come to expect the musicianship to be top notch from the Gourds and "Noble Creatures" lives up big time. But it is the singing and flawless production that puts this outing over the top. Never have they sounded so strong and confident. This is one of those CD's that just gets better with every listen.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Throwing all five stars at this album, July 27, 2007

By 

loce_the_wizard "loce_the_wizard" (Lilburn, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Noble Creatures (Audio CD)

It's an easy task being a Gourd's fan these days. This well-traveled quintet of stellar musicians from Austin, TX, have, with their latest offering, "Noble Creatures," retained their signature, cross-cutting fusion of musical genres and finely burnished their sound so that it glows. And their signature warped humor, off-beat insights, and stop-did-they- really-say-that lyrics make for some fun listening.

On this set of songs, more slice-of-life vignettes for the "well read and unwashed," the Gourds launch from their familiar country-bluegrass-folk-roots-rock platform and incorporate some new flourishes. The opening track features horns and on others the organ shines, or the pedal steel, or the guitars. None of these are radical departures for the Gourds, but the new elements keep things fresh.

Perhaps the inclusion of four ballads may strike some twinge of fear into the hearts of long-time Gourd's fans, but those songs really work well, are easy on the ears (but tough on the heart), and offer a nice balance to the mix of tunes here. This long-running collaboration continues making some of the best music around. Fans of the band know, too, that "Gourds' music," as it is often pegged, is something special. I throwing all five stars at this album.