1. Dry River
2. Valley Road
3. Saint Mary Of The Woods
4. Out Here In The Middle
5. Lobo Town
6. Broken Bed
7. Red Dress
8. Gulf Road
9. Gone To The Y
10. Choctaw Bingo
Amazon.com
After the more laid-back excursion of Walk Between the Raindrops, James McMurtry returns to the more raucous sound of his John Mellencamp-produced debut, Too Long in the Wasteland, and the follow-up, Candyland. Aided by the electric guitars of Stephen Bruton, David Grissom, and McMurtry himself, Saint Mary of the Woods rocks as much as it "folks." The talent for vividly painted, finely honed observations of rural life and interactive hearts that he inherited from his father (Larry, the novelist) has been augmented here by some diverse musical influences. "Lobo Town" borrows from Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love," while the rhythm of his "Choctaw Bingo" lyrics can trace a direct lineage to Chuck Berry's "Maybellene." McMurtry also covers a Dave Alvin tune ("Dry River") and enlists composing help from bandmates and engineers. Rather than add up to a writer having creative problems, it appears here more like an egoless acceptance of inspiration where he finds it. It works. Saint Mary of the Woods is a fine addition to a first-rate catalog by a consistently excellent artist. --Michael Ross
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Saint Mary of the Woods
- Audio CD: 0 pages (2002-09-17)
- Publisher: Sugarhill
- Label: Sugarhill
- Studio: Sugarhill
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 30 reviews
- Sales Rank in Music: #9616
Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Saint Mary of the Woods 2008-03-18
Comment: I wonder if it ever bothers James McMurtry that he can't sing without sounding like somebody reading out of the Old Testament.
On his sixth album, McMurtry maintains his less-than-subtle condemnation of American complacency and rural smugness. Though the opening track, "Dry River," refers to writer Dave Alvin's native Southern California, the album is clearly rooted in the Texas and Virginia where McMurtry's roots live to this day. And everything in his world, from nature to families to whole communities, is broken on some level.
Heavy-rotation singles like "Out Here in the Middle" and the title cut give a good impression of what this album actually sounds like. While individual tracks play with sound, like the rapid shuffle of "Choctaw Bingo" or the stiff wind underlying "Lobo Town," there are no unpleasant surprises on this disc. The tracks are varied enough to keep you from getting bored, but there are no unexpected lame tracks.
Some songs, like "Gulf Road" and "Valley Road," aren't as strong as the disc as a whole. Maybe it's something to do with road songs, I don't know. But even these less powerful tracks are still worth listening to: James McMurtry's misfires are still far better than the pelf you get from the greatest hits of corporate country and pop rock.
Whether for a first-time McMurtry listener or somebody long established in his sound, this is an album worth getting. Though not as political as his next studio album, Childish Things, McMurtry once again lets no sinner go unnamed, nor any crime go unpunished. This is real full-tilt rural rock and indy country for a generation that doesn't want to buy what the white guys in ties are selling.
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Summary: Texasville revisited . . . 2007-08-04
Comment: James McMurtry may not appreciate comparisons to his father Larry's novels about Texas, but there's more than a little resemblance between this collection of songs and the mournful melancholy of "The Last Picture Show." And it has taken me a few months of listening to them to hear the depth of that in the lyrics. I bought this CD on the strength of its rousing "Choctaw Bingo" about redneck family values, which I first heard on Sirius' uncensored Outlaw Country channel. This 8.5-minute talking-blues song is the most colorful, outrageous track on the whole recording and easily beats everything that comes before and after it.
So I was disappointed by the mostly downbeat material on the rest of the CD - songs about lost love, lost this and lost that, which lay to rest every myth of the West, except maybe the tradition of the outlaw itself. In this New West, chrystal meth and weed take the place of moonshine. Lonely souls can be found in the dashboard light, and Starbucks and 200 TV channels don't fill the emptiness inside. Meanwhile, after a domestic dispute, a drunken husband sleeps it off at the Y and his sons marinate in their anger, and a woman remembers a fatal fling with a musician, riding with no helmet on the back of a motorcycle. All I can say is, it grows on you.
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Summary: Southern boogie with country angst 2007-05-30
Comment: I bought this for the track Choqtaw Bingo,recommended on a show by Stephen King, a great driving boogie with witty lyrics which conjured up a whole subculture. The rest of the album has some great fuzzed up texas boogie which reminds me of ZZ Top and Dr Feelgood, laid back vocals from Mr McMurtry with some nice reflective lyrics,a nice surprise, almost a great album.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
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Summary: One hit album.... 2006-04-17
Comment: I bought this for Choctaw Bingo, which I thought was incredibe music the first time I heard it on RadioParadise.com, even better when I listened to the lyrics (incredible! -- make crystal meth 'cuz his 'shine don't sell, strap them kids in, put a little bit of vodka in their cherry coke). Unfortunately, the rest of the CD hasn't done much for me (came of to me as kind of standard singer-songwriter fare), so I haven't listened to it much since I got it several months ago. The rest isn't BAD, just not my cup of tea right now, but who knows? I wouldn't write it off as not having the potential of being one of those CD's I pull out one day for the hell of it and I hear something in a new way and it suddenly grows on me.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Folk music for the 21st Century. 2006-02-28
Comment: I was surprised when I first heard James McMurtry. Oh, yeah, some wealthy, famous author's son trying to prove he has talent, too. Whoopdy-do! And I don't like his daddy's books. But he got my attention right away with his lyrics. This is simply great stuff. "Choctaw Bingo" is the most famous song, and deservedly so. You very rarely hear lyrics about giving the kids some vodka to calm them down for a long drive. Or Uncle Slayton cooking Crystal Meth because the shine don't sell. He likes the money, he doesn't mind the smell.
But Choctaw isn't the whole game. I feel like I know "St. Mary of the Woods." I may even have been married to her at one time. "Out Here In The Middle" is a maudlin song I like, though I hate maudlin songs, in general. McMurtry's back to cooking speed on "Lobo Town." Not blaming it on Uncle Slayton any more.
All in all, a solid album with no bathroom breaks on it.
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Saint Mary of the Woods
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