Exposed Roots: Best of Alt. Country

Product Review

Whatever you say about alternative country, don't call it "underground"--not since the "movement" has now received K-Tel's (mixed) blessing. Hard-core fans will find Exposed Roots redundant, but for those curious about alt country, this compilation is not a bad buffet to sample. The two-disc set is most interesting for the particular vision it presents of the wanna-be genre, though many of the choices seem questionable. The inclusion of lesser-known acts like the Handsome Family and Lambchop is adventurous--and rewarding--but does anyone really think Marlee MacLeod is more important to the development of the scene than Uncle Tupelo? There's nothing here from Tupelo, or any of their St. Louis kin. And the token nods to Gram Parsons ("In My Hour of Darkness") and Johnny Cash (does anyone need another recording of "Folsom Prison Blues"?) should've been omitted, because their inclusion only makes the absence of other forerunners painfully obvious. But most offensive is "See Right Through" from Tangletown--a band that nobody knows, included presumably because their 1999 debut album is also distributed by K-Tel. Buy the compilation if only for the liner notes by No Depression editors Peter Blackstock and Grant Alden, who provide a serviceable map to the dozens of albums by the bands heard here. --Anders Smith-Lindall

Amazon.com

Whatever you say about alternative country, don't call it "underground"--not since the "movement" has now received K-Tel's (mixed) blessing. Hard-core fans will find Exposed Roots redundant, but for those curious about alt country, this compilation is not a bad buffet to sample. The two-disc set is most interesting for the particular vision it presents of the wanna-be genre, though many of the choices seem questionable. The inclusion of lesser-known acts like the Handsome Family and Lambchop is adventurous--and rewarding--but does anyone really think Marlee MacLeod is more important to the development of the scene than Uncle Tupelo? There's nothing here from Tupelo, or any of their St. Louis kin. And the token nods to Gram Parsons ("In My Hour of Darkness") and Johnny Cash (does anyone need another recording of "Folsom Prison Blues"?) should've been omitted, because their inclusion only makes the absence of other forerunners painfully obvious. But most offensive is "See Right Through" from Tangletown--a band that nobody knows, included presumably because their 1999 debut album is also distributed by K-Tel. Buy the compilation if only for the liner notes by No Depression editors Peter Blackstock and Grant Alden, who provide a serviceable map to the dozens of albums by the bands heard here. --Anders Smith-Lindall

Title Tracks for Exposed Roots: Best of Alt. Country

1. Passionate Kisses - Lucinda Williams
2. Blue Canoe - Blue Mountain
3. My Morphine - Gillian Welch
4. Nervous Breakdown - Whiskeytown
5. Looking Forward To Seeing You - Golden Smog
6. Dallas - Jimmie Dale Gilmore
7. Picture In My Mind - Freakwater
8. Lost - Meat Puppets
9. I Like Drinking - Gourds
10. Bettie Bettie - BR5-49
11. See Right Through - Tangletown
12. Black Eyed Susie - Cheri Knight
13. Waitng For The Sun - The Jayhawks
14. Talk Like That - Kelly Willis
15. Guitar Town - Steve Earle
16. Too Much Pork For Just One Fork - Southern Culture On The Skids
17. Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash
18. Weightless Again - The Handsome Family
19. Gravity Of The Situation - Vic Chesnutt
20. Your Blue Door - Honeydogs
21. Baby's Got New Plans - Alejandro Escovedo
22. Mata Hari Dress - Marlee MacLeod
23. The Saturday Option - Lambchop
24. In My Hour Of Darkness - Gram Parsons

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review

(5 customer reviews)

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

A good glimpse of a great genre, August 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Exposed Roots: Best of Alt. Country (Audio CD)

In my humble opinion, country rock is THE best music out there, so naturally when I heard this was coming out I got it. Overall it's a very good collection for both the newbies and the veterans. Although some of the songs beg to be skipped (a couple of the artists have better stuff that could have been used) there are a few standouts. Blue Mountain, Golden Smog, and Johnny Cash all have GREAT songs. Personal favorite would have to be "Dallas" by Jimmie Gilmore: alt country done to perfection. Give these 2 discs a spin: it's a good deal for the money.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Great compilation to get into whatever they call this music, May 14, 2004

The MacGuffin (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exposed Roots: Best of Alt. Country (Audio CD)

Bought this not long after it came out. I was just getting into alt-country, americana, no depression, insurgent country, or whatever you want to call it. This is an excellent starting point. Standout tracks are The Handsome Family's suicide song "Weightless Again", Whiskeytown's cover of the Black Flag classic "Nervous Breakdown", Johnny Cash, Freakwater, Gram Parsons, Steve Earle and the list goes on. If you are curious about this style of music, get this. If you can't find something on here you like - then alt. country (country-rock?) isn't for you.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

A little bit of everything., August 14, 2003

J. Carroll "Jack" (Island Heights,NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exposed Roots: Best of Alt. Country (Audio CD)

This collection of 24 cuts by different artists gives the listener an idea of how varied and interesting the roots of alt. country are. (Is it just me or is alt. country a truly dumb name. Just checking.)Songs from many artists; vets like Johnny Cash,(The true father of this style of music and so much more)and Steve Earle ("Guitar Town")to "newer" bands like BRS-49 (With their wonderful tribute to Bettie Page, a pin-up queen of the 50's)are mixed together with no real concept behind it. (Typical K-Tel) But as another reviewer explained it, this is not for fans of the genre, it's for new entrants, like me, who want to check out what this sound is about. I've definitely heard a few things here that make me want to pursue some of these artists'other recordings. A nice sampler and while maybe there are omissions, for an overview this one is not bad, a nice mix of songs and styles.