Customer Reviews

Tales of a Traveler

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

 

 

Used to see these guys play all the time back in Oxford, Miss., beer in my hand and standing two inches away from the amp... They still got it in this, their third album. If you like alt-country like Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo, Neil Young or Lyle Lovett, check these guys out. Great guitars, wonderful storytelling and a sense of honesty and guts that outpaces most of the calculated fluff out there these days. Have a beer for me.

This album certainly doesn't disappoint a die-hard Blue Mountain fan. "Dog Days" and "Homegrown" are two of my favorite albums and I was very much looking forward to this new effort. I had the extreme pleasure to see the band live a few weeks back - don't miss 'em when they come around! This album gives you a taste of their passionate live performances. Cary Hudson is one fine guitar player! If you like true American roots rock & roll, you'll love this band.

Do yourself a favor and buy "Dog Days" while you're at it - it'll save you a trip.

After the good but somewhat uneven "Homegrown", Blue Mountain return to form with a very strong outing. "Tales of a Traveler" has it all: catchy tunes, fast-paced rockers, blues-tinged songs and poignant ballads. Overall, a very focused an cohesive work. This band is one of the best out there -- do yourself a favor and check them out.

When I first got this disc I thought, "Its not as good as Dog Days", and I sort of pushed it to the back of my collection. Well after pulling it out again and giving it a fair amount of playing time, I discovered how much I like this Disc. Still may not be quite as good as Dog Days, but it has a more of a varity of sounds and songs than Dog Days. This is just simply a talented band, and given the chance, if you are a country rock fan, these guys will win you over. Think Neil Young, Skynyrd, Jayhawks, and Son Volt, and Blue Mountain is in that catagory. Fine company indeed

I have owned this CD for several months, and after listening to it several times I have decided to share some thoughts with you. Initially I listened to it, and after a few spins placed it in my CD rack. Its OK I thought, but not near as good as Dog Days.

Recently brought it back out, had to take a 4 hour trip to Nashville. I listened to it full length twice, once getting there and once on the return. Blue Mountain reminds me of CCR sometimes, and other times Neil Young and Crazy Horse. But they are their own, Cary Hudson is the core here. This one is bottom line oustanding. Get it. The music is basic, but filled with images of American life. Wife Laurie provides some great harmony on the opening track, but each one of these tracks are interesting and full of soul, life and music. Some tracks sound similair, but they differ in approach and texture. This CD is worth the price of several. Enjoy

Blue Mountain may never again record an album as great as their debut ("Dog Days"), but this one is pretty good. The first five songs are classic down home country rock (though "Lakeside" is merely a rewrite of "Blue Canoe" from the first album). After that, things get a bit more experimental and not as fun, though the disc closes with the rollicking "Just Passing Through," which is one of their best-ever songs. These Mississippi homeboys (and one homegirl) deserve a much wider audience.

Tales of a Traveler is an album full of beauty, rural pastiche, bucolic charm, blues invention and most of all a synergy from a vast variety of roots influences, with a modern twist. It starts off with a couple of driving country rockers. Poppa has driving guitars, before diving into the poppy and catchy Comic Book Kid. And so it goes, mostly fantastic dives into country repetoires with the odd diversion into Chris Isaak territory but mostly just great Alt Country. The last three songs ending the album are simple brilliant, deeply melancholy, melodic guitars, moody vocals. These songs simply grab you by the throat and insert themselves into your head. If you love The Jayhawks, Son Volt, Wagon etc then Blue Mountain are the next stop on the journey. Enjoy

This one of the worst Blue Mountain cd's yet!, they sound nothing like "dog days' or "home grown", everything is different, if the remainder cd's are like this, I'm glad they no longer are together, glad I got it used, not so much money totally wasted!