The Orange Humble Band
Humblin' (Across America)
Laughing Outlaw Records

Here's is a reissue of the album first released in late 2000. Making me wonder why on earth anyone would feel the need to release an album twice in merely five years I found it basically self-explanatory by the quality of it all. People that didn't get it the first time around deserve to get a second chance here. And you'd better grab it.

This album still stand out as a good piece of work and a fine, though somewhat unlikely, collaboration between a handful of our heroes. This is more of a project than a band, including such names as Spooner Oldham, Jim Dickinson, Jody Stephens and Mitch Easter. And its writer and leader, Darryl Mather, managed to top (t)his crop with Ken Stringfellow on lead vocals. Even his best work as such yet.

I might take it too far by calling this a super-group, though it doesn't feel all too strange using that term. You get all you have reasons to wish for in an album with these players. You get soaring ballads followed by sophisticated power-pop, not to forget those fine touches of Memphis horns. It's playful but sincere and most of all to the point all the way. If you find yourself somewhere between the wide range of Big Star, Golden Smog, Matthew Sweet and The Posies you'll have a great time with this one.

Copyright © 2006 Anders Svendsen