Faithless Street

by Whiskeytown

Product Description:

Originally released on Moodfood Records, this remixed reissue contains new artwork and bonus tracks.

Whiskeytown: Ryan Adams, Phil Wandscher (vocals, guitar); Caitlin Cary (vocals, violin); Steve Grothman (bass); Eric "Skillet" Gilmore (drums).

Additional personnel: Bob Ricker (pedal steel); Nicholas Petti (pedal steel, banjo, accordion).

Recorded at the Funny Farm, Apex, North Carolina and at Captured Live!, Durham, North Carolina. Includes liner notes by Caitlin Cary.

Much has been made of Whiskeytown's turbulent, short-lived life and the antics and attitude of its lead singer and songwriter Ryan Adams. But all that falls by the wayside with one listen to the alt-country youngsters' 1996 debut FAITHLESS STREET. Though its antecedents are easy enough to trace (Uncle Tupelo, anyone?), FAITHLESS STREET updates the classic country-rock sound with enough grit and sincerity to make it fresh and vital.

In part this vitality comes from Adams's punk rock background: there is enough muscle and DIY attitude here to spawn any number of front-porch alt-country wannabes. But the real weapon is Adams' songwriting, be it the spiraling melancholy of opener "Midway Park," the waltz-time beauty of the title track, or the serious country perfection of "Matrimony." The musicians--with their weeping pedal steel, steady backbeats, and fierce electric guitars (not to mention Caitlin Cary's fine violin and vocals)--are no slouches either. FAITHLESS STREET deserves a place alongside seminal alt-country albums by Uncle Tupelo and the Jayhawks, which is high praise indeed.