Blame It On Gravity : Old 97's : Review : Rolling Stone

Over the past 15 years, Old 97's have evolved from country-punk yahoos into master-class rock & roll songwriters. For proof, see their album opener, "The Fool," a speed-strummed joy ride that tells the story of two doomed lovers in Day-Glo detail. "He came from Phoenix in a borrowed VW Bug," sings frontman Rhett Miller, already breathless; the girl he likens to "a drug/Hallucinogenic with no hangover at all."

And yet, after some LPs focused more on popcraft than adrenaline, there's still no better band to spill your beer to. "Dance With Me" is a high-strung Tex-Mex cha-cha about a gigolo, a wayward girlfriend and her jilted lover. Even the largely acoustic "No Baby I," hot-wired with a driving oompah beat and a fierce guitar solo, is a party-starter, albeit a death-haunted one. "Strum it on a Telecaster/Sing it like a train-disaster song," sings Miller. It's a perfect mission statement from four Texans raised on the Beatles and Johnny Cash in equal measures, whose shiny melodies, and fatalistic character studies, do their forefathers proud.

WILL HERMES

(Posted: May 29, 2008)

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Track List

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The Fool (track not available in Rhapsody)
Dance With Me (track not available in Rhapsody)
No Baby I (track not available in Rhapsody)
My Two Feet (track not available in Rhapsody)
Ride (track not available in Rhapsody)
She Loves The Sunset (track not available in Rhapsody)
This Beautiful Thing (track not available in Rhapsody)
I Will Remain (track not available in Rhapsody)
Early Morning (track not available in Rhapsody)
The Easy Way (track not available in Rhapsody)
Here's To The Halcyon (track not available in Rhapsody)
Color Of A Lonely Heart Is Blue (track not available in Rhapsody)
The One (track not available in Rhapsody)

Your Turn

Give us your review of Blame It On Gravity

Review 1 of 2

4of 5 Stars

I was first introduced to the Old 97's with 'Too Far to Care' and their live show in Toronto. What they've lost in ferocity they've more than made up with great songwriting. 'Blame It On Gravity' sounds both like a nod back to the past with old fashioned country/pop hooks and the future for the alt. country sound. No small feat for a band that's been around long enough to see some of their contemporaries abandon the genre that first made them successful.

Jun 19, 2008 07:40:33

Review 2 of 2

4of 5 Stars

The RS reviewer's lavish praise of this album could be considered hyperbole, if the praise wasn't so deserved. This album sounds very of-the-moment yet also sounds like it's been my record collection for years. No small feat.

May 22, 2008 07:01:36

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