Saint Mary of the Woods

James McMurtry | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 17, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sugarhill
• ASIN: B00006IGUF
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,476 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #2 in Music > Indie Music > Folk > Folk Rock
  • #4 in Music > Indie Music > Pop > Singer-Songwriters
  • #6 in Music > Indie Music > Folk > Singer Songwriters

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, February 10, 2003

By 

King of Rawk "giganticfan" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saint Mary of the Woods (Audio CD)

James never ceases to amaze me. Living in Austin and having the pleasure to occasionally talk with McMurtry, I can say that his remarkable songwriting is only exceeded by his extreem modesty. Saint Mary of the Woods isn't just a record, it paints a picture. It's like a novel in music form. The lyrics are thought provoking and the music is intelligently written. James seems to have this innate ability to write folk songs that, simply stated, rock. Unlike those many, many songwriters out their that call their music modern folk, when they are simply just doing boring rip-offs of their predicesors, McMurtry constantly reinvents the way folk music is to be viewed (or listened to that is) with every album, and Saint Mary of the Woods is no different. The title track of the album pretty much somes up the way I see McMurtry as a songwriter: complicated, yet so simple. I must add too that the production of this record is top notch.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the Wait, September 22, 2002

By 

Richard (STATESBORO, Gabon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saint Mary of the Woods (Audio CD)

McMurtry produces himself for the first time and the results are stunning. There's a brightness and an edge to these tunes about the impoverishment of the American landscape. Dave Alvin's "Dry River" sets the tone for the McMurtry originals that follow about a heartland given over to "bathtub speed" and "Starbucks--what else you need?" for "corporate relo refugees." In some ways it's "Levelland" without the poignancy. But as McMurtry's songs make clear, we live in far less poignant times. Don't get me wrong--there's beauty here: the title cut is haunting in its atmospheric evocation of the limitations of nostalgia.

I love McMurtry's work and had been wondering when we'd hear from him again. This one is worth the wait, indeed.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great wordsmith, November 9, 2002

By 

Ralph A. Weisheit (Normal, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saint Mary of the Woods (Audio CD)

McMurtry is a wonderful songwriter who is able to paint vivid images with an economy of words. I also marvel at his ability to capture phrases and ideas that reflect working-class rural middle America. His music, like his lyrics, is lean and has some jagged edges to it, but that's what makes it unique. I like the CD very much but particularly like Choctaw Bingo -- an 8 and 1/2 minute song about a (dysfunctional) family reunion, a song without repeating verses. It is a marvel of songwriting. Is this album his best? I think it ranks right up there and will be an album with lasting appeal. It is a pity that he is not more popular, but from a marketing perspective he is cursed by having a style that doesn't fit neatly into any single category -- it has elements of rock, folk, and country. While that may pose a marketing problem, many of us like his style precisely because it doesn't fit traditional categories.