Carrying On

Montgomery Gentry

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 1, 2001)
• Original Release Date: May 1, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00005EBI7
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #143,726 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

With their 1999 debut, Tattoos & Scars, the Kentucky-born duo of Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry carved out a robust niche by tapping into the rowdy, long-haired country-boy spirit and stylings of '70s "outlaw" kings like Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr., and Charlie Daniels. The duo has only one original song on Carrying On, their second album, and they mostly rely on studio musicians for their energetic neo-honky-tonk and full-tilt retro Southern-rock instrumental backing. Even so, Carrying On (with its telling double-meaning title) is a much more fully realized and compelling work than their bestselling debut. The antiheroes who inhabit honky-tonk ballads and country-rock anthems like "She Couldn't Change Me," "The Fine Line," "Lucky to Be Here," "Black Jack Fletcher and Mississippi Sam," and their spirited remake of Jennings's outlaw classic "Ramblin' Man" drive too fast, drink and smoke too much, show disdain for urban affectations, and occasionally even contemplate suicide when life and love go bad. And they make no apologies for it. In country's somewhat stifling era of yuppified political correctness, Montgomery Gentry's unreconstructed, unapologetic redneck brashness and fervor blows across the musical landscape like a hearty and welcome "southeaster." --Bob Allen

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Montgomery Gentry's back!, May 6, 2001

By	DanD - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

There debut album was good, but this one is great. The first track is the chart-topping "She Couldn't Change Me." "My Father's Son" is a great country tune, too. "Cold One Comin' On" doesn't sound like it could be very long, but it goes on for a full five minutes, every one of them enjoyable. "While The World Goes Down the Drain" tells how, while the drugs are taking over the streets, there's always a place in the country you can go. Incredible! "Hellbent On Saving Me" would have to be my personal favorite, combining honky-tonk-humor lyrics with a powerful rythm. "Carrying On" may sound a bit too much like "All Night Long," but is that so bad? Really, this song is like a biography of who Montgomery Gentry is. "Black Jack Fletcher . . ." is another great song. "Lucky To Be Here" also ranks high on this CD, cowritten by the boys themselves. Eddie and Troy share the honor of lead vocals on this one, as they do on the title track. "Too Hard to Handle . . ." is another hit. The three I left out are good too, so don't you worry. Montgomery Gentry's style could be described as many things. Traditional, honky-tonk, even contemporary. I say simply this: It's Montgomery Gentry. 'Nuff said.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eddie and Troy Kick it up a Notch...., June 26, 2001

By	Jennifer T Grogan (Jersey City, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

What's better than two country boys who put on a killer live show? Two country boys who can take that same amazing energy into the studio and produce a CD like Carrying On! With the first hit of this sophmore effort, She Couldn't Change Me, Montgomery Gentry polishes off some of the rough edges from their debut and still stays true to the no-apologies, real-country feel they committed to on their amazing Tatoos and Scars. Don't miss the two most amazing tracks, the very hot (dare I say sexy and risk all credibility?) blues-ey angst-fest Cold One Comin'On and the surprisingly poignent, MG-style love-song Hellbent on Saving Me. Cold One...is a variation on the typical broken-hearted drinking song, but there is nothing here that you have heard before. The guitar licks are unbelievable and the lyrics ("...a bar room or that bedroom back at home...") make you want to turn off the lights and brood about everyone who has ever done you wrong. Hellbent...is equally un-formulaic. It is a love song, but there is not an ounce of sap or silly sentiment here! How can there be with a line like "...She's an angel, she's a saint and that's two things that I ain't." On a technical level this is an almost perfect song and a great showcase for Eddie's honest vocal style. Quite rightly everyone is going to love tracks like Carrying On and While the World Goes down the Drain, but these two songs along with My Father's Son and Black Jack Fletcher and Mississippi Sam make this a truly great CD.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars could these guys save Country, January 29, 2002

By	Bill Allison "Bill Allison" (Southwest Missouri, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It really is refreshing to hear a duo like this in an age where country has turned to pop. I've actually gotten away from the country scene (the new stuff, anyway) because I can't stand to see where the whole thing is going. It's pretty painful to see Billy Gillman belting out pop tunes on CMT. It hurts. Every once in a while, something good comes along, like these guys, and restores my faith a little bit. This really is good stuff. Their sound is sort of a throwback to the good ole days of outlaw country when it was about the music. Not image, pop-fluff, and appealing to the masses. Every one of the songs here are good, granted I like some more than others, but there certainly isn't a bad one here. I can tell that these tunes will all sound great live. Tunes like the smash hit "she couldn't change me", "my father's son", "while the world goes down the drain" and "cold one coming on" are all great tunes and the title track "carrying on" reminds me of a Charlie Daniels tune. Their cover of Waylon's "Ramblin Man" is also worth mentioning.

I'm really glad to see that these guys are having so much success. Maybe country isn't going down the drain after all and people still DO have some taste in music. Oh well, as long as these guys, as well as Travis Tritt, Trace Atkins, Marty Stuart, Dwight Yoakem, and Gary Allen keep putting out albums, I'll be happy. Keep it up guys.