Customer Reviews

The Holy Open Secret

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Overall I thought this album was much better than the first one. I didn't really like the first one; I felt it had a lot of boring country songs on it. But their second cd really surprised me. I really enjoyed songs like Watch Your Mouth, What Good Are Plowshares, and Three Penny Charm because they had different feels than most other Hoots songs. The two songs I disliked the most were The Family Band and Known For Possession because they seemed like cheesy country folk songs. Overall, I've definitely become much more interested in Hoots and Hellmouth and I look forward to their next concert.

Another home run from Hoots and Hellmouth! Again, they have done a fantastic job blending good 'ol foot stompin' knee slappin' American music with gentler softer rock rhythms. This group has grown into a truly amazing musical talent -- one that I will be watching closely. I am already looking forward to album #3 to see what they will come up with next!

This Philadelphia-based acoustic band has a fanatical following up and down the east coast. They are scorching hot players who have played thousands of shows together and they are as tight as can be. These four dudes can pick, strum and stomp with anyone but they are way past showing off their virtuosity. Songs are eclectic, a great mix of fast, faster, slow and in the middle - and always soulful. Hoots and Gray, who founded the band, cut their teeth as loud hard electric rockers and they just got tired of the volume so they evolved to acoustic, but this is still very definitely roots rock and roll, not country, not bluegrass. A little hard to find comparisons -- this is the kind of original up-tempo soul music the Band could have made if they had gone this direction. There aren't many bands that have the chops to do this.

The CD is great quality. The music is wonderful if you like a blue-grassy church-revival type of stomping good music. The CD arrived quickly and the price was right.

The Holy Open Secret is my second Hoots-n-Hellmouth CD. The first one was a huge novelty, and acquaintances from all walks of life loved it---even more so the more they listened. I think this disc will be the same way, but it's not so unique from the first one to make a huge impression. It's just good quality alt-roots music, and I plan on listening enough that these songs are ingrained as much as those from their first offering.

a nice transport to a wide open southern meadow that makes you go "oh, whoa-oh-oh." also makes really makes you stomp feet and sing to the moon.

Hoots and Hellmouth manage to take what could be a boring folk album and turn it into an amazing display of talent, passion and most surprisingly, intensity. With tracks like "Root of the Industry" and "What Good Are Plowshares If We Use Them Like Swords," the band takes acoustic folk music to a level often unheard of. For the more traditional folk fan, the band has songs such as "Ne'er Do Well," and a personal favorite of mine "Roll, Brandywine, Roll." The mix between upbeat and slow songs makes this a very different album than most bands of this genre put out. I would definitely recommend this for any fan of traditional folk music, as well as anyone who wants to hear a band that is breaking boundaries. 5 stars

I was instantly hooked by the album. From the first listen, this album stood out as a solid and extremely catchy way to twist Americana styles into a completely modernized form of music. It's unique, it's concise, highly recommended

I didn't really know much about this band before I saw them live, then I immediately bought their CD. They have so much energy and soul during their performance that not a single person in the audience was sitting down. If you want some feel good music, that'll get you on your feet, this is the album to buy.

This album was good and better than their first one. My favorites were "What good are plowshares," "roll, Brandywine, roll" and "Watch your mouth." Great mix of Americana bluegrass and punk rocker flare, and they are even better live.