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Only one thing's certain -- his songwriting.
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The Old 97's sound youthful and newly energized, having returned to Dallas and relocated that beloved crossroads between twangy country rock and tight, economic power pop.
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Comfortable and confident all the way through, and a highly welcomed return.
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Blame It On Gravity is a welcome return to form.
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These 13 tunes unfold at less of a breakneck pace than some of the band's earlier songs, but the musicians are as tight and the songwriting as strong as on anything the group has released.
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The disc has plenty of amped-up, distortion-filled moments (Ride, The Easy Way), but the band throws in more than few twangy, laid-back tracks (She Loves The Sunset, The Beautiful Thing). Infectious tunes and, most important, variety, make this another great disc in the band’s solid career.
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Gravity should keep fans happy, the unconverted will stay that way, and no one will be embarrassed.
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It’s a nice reminder of what was so wonderful about alt-country in the first place.
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"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.
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Their seventh studio album bucks and chugs, balancing the quartet's original alt-country impetus with Rhett Miller's love of power pop. [June 2008, p.116]
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Make no mistake, Blame It On Gravity is a guitar-pop record at heart. Other than a few twangy flourishes here and there, bassist Murry Hammond appears to be the one keeping the country faith, delivering one of his best performances on “Color Of A Lonely Heart Is Blue.”
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Under The RadarMiller’s voice remains in fine form throughout, crooning and growling his smartly phrased romantic ambivalence, while the band mixes it up with Spanish, island, and jazz flavors without neglecting their beloved twang. [Summer 2008]
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The songs move between love and regret and between restlessness and loneliness.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 7 out of 9
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Mixed: 1 out of 9
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Negative: 1 out of 9
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CoreyJ.May 17, 2008
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kevDMay 17, 200897's return with a classic. This is up there with fight songs and satellite rides.