Rusted Root: Welcome To My Party : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Oh for the halcyon days of the H.O.R.D.E. festival, when the patchouli oil flowed freely and hacky sacks were plenty. These days, bands of that stripe have been relegated to peddling their wares to faux flower children driving BMWs and toting cell phones. It seems no one, though, has told Rusted Root that the party is over. The Pittsburgh jam-banders have always sounded like a well-traveled drum circle that went on to form a group, and their latest offering, Welcome to My Party finds them spicing up their palette by adding Middle Eastern flourishes to "Blue Diamonds," swampy New Orleans swagger to "Women Got My Money" and a reggae slink to "Too Much." Sadly, their lofty intentions sound a little forced, especially the dance rave number "People of My Village," which comes off like an experiment between C and C Music Factory and Santana gone horribly awry. Still need a neo-hippie fix? Better wait for Phil Lesh and Friends to pull into town.

NEVIN MARTELL
(June 11, 2002)