The Wreckers - Way Back Home: Live From New York City

An Alt-Country Essential : The Wreckers Just Soar

What a travesty that most people still don't even know about this band. Routinely called Michelle Branch's 'side project', The Wreckers have proven to be one of the most seminal alt-country bands in history, despite the fact that they have just one proper studio album to their name.

My own love affair with this band began many years ago when I bought a copy of the 'One Tree Hill' Soundtrack (the first in the series). On it was a song called 'The Good Kind', which I played over and over, shocked that such a gem was hidden away on a soundtrack album that not many people would buy in the first place. Cut to a little while later when I find that the group consists of Michelle Branch and the (stunning) Jessica Harp, whose melodies harken back to a time when harmonizing was king. Listen to their voices blend. What production!

"Stand Still, Look Pretty" remains the Wreckers' only studio album, at the time of writing. Thankfully, the album holds up to repeat listening, and alongwith Dolly Partons' "All I Can Do" album from 1976, remains my favorite country album. Many country purists would argue that this isn't country music per se, but I beg to differ. Its far removed from the pop-country leanings of say, Shania Twain, but its also more elitist in many ways - comparable to Lucinda Williams. For the record, I thoroughly enjoyed this album much more than contemporary straight-forward country releases such as "Carnival Ride" by Underwood.

The reason why this live album is important is because, a) we do not know if the Wreckers will ever come together to record a second studio album, and b) they perform songs that appear on "Stand Still, Look Pretty", as well as rarities you can't get anywhere else. The product also contains the STUNNING live DVD of the whole performance. Its rare that both CD and DVD of one single performance would hold up to repeated listening, but it certainly does over here. I remember getting Madonna's "Confessions Tour" CD and DVD pack last year. While the DVD was great, I couldn't bother listening to the audio CD even once, and didn't even bother ripping it to my Itunes.

Not so with this compilation. Every song here is a winner, but the greatest track "Way Back Home" simply soars. Perennial favorite and their hit Country Single "Leave the Pieces" also features, and sounds every bit as lovely as it first did on country radio. Also of importance is "Tennessee", which I always felt was an underrated classic on the original album. The girls do indulge in some awkward stage banter here - flitting about with personal experiences and some mild trivia, but this only makes them more endearing.

At the end of it, The Wreckers solidly deserve mainstream success, and a whole lot of respect from both the folk and country music movement. The women have some great tunes, excellent delivery and harmonizing, and some really, really thought-provoking lyrics. None of your sappy teen romances here - the lyrics are poignant and read like poetry - stellar stuff.

A truly solid live album that deserves a place in every country music lovers' collection. You'll be thanking me for years to come. Just get this. May 23, 2008

Wonderful CD

Let me start by saying these ladies are incredible together. Their music is not only catchy, but tends to stay with you throughout the day. I purchased this CD a few days ago and have tried to ween myself off of it, however, by the end of the day, I am right back to it. Every song is strong. No filler material here.
I recommend this CD to everyone. The DVD is just as good. Worth the $$ you will pay for it.

March 12, 2008

Worth the few bucks for this ...

The only "Live" performance on DVD of The Wreckers, that I'm aware of. That right there makes it worth the few bucks to buy it. I enjoy these two gals, Michelle Branch & Jessica Harp. I like their style. I like their sound. It's really unfortunate, I think, that both Michelle & Jessica have decided to part company and go back to their solo works. I found them, together, to be quite entertaining. Their song "Tennessee" (which Jessica wrote) I thoroughly love. This is rather a smaller, more intimate show, here on this DVD. It's not a HUGE production with flashing lights and fireworks shooting all over the place. I've been to both 'types' of shows, many times, both LARGE arenas with pyro-technic treatments galore and smaller, up-close more intimate shows and I have to admit these a lot of these smaller-production, up-close and intimate shows are well worth it. I mean, that's just me. I attend both kinds of shows/concerts but, don't dismiss these smaller shows/venues quite so readily. This DVD is a good example of that. It's not a highly polished production but, sometimes that's what makes it even better. February 12, 2008

The Wreckers - Way Back Home - Live From New York City delivers a great music package!

Way Back Home: Live From New York City This dual disc (one CD and one DVD) is a record of their performance at The Bowery Ballroom in NYC. As such, it is a standout, and will stand up to many listenings (some live shows don't). The DVD, with video of the concert is a nice bonus in a two-disc set that sells for little more than a CD alone would. Also included on the DVD is some bonus interview footage giving a snapshot of how the two performers were feeling and approaching their tour. The audio is almost flawless in production (for a live show). Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp simply sound great - beautiful harmonies!, and the musicians they have surrounded themselves with hit the nail on the head in most songs. Some critics have wondered what the heck pop princess Michelle Branch was doing by immersing herself in a duo - after battling to make it as a solo artist - and changing to country pop instead of pop, but as shown on Stand Still, Look Pretty and on this CD/DVD combo, it was indeed a great decision. Country pop (like "real" country music) offers up the possibility of "story songs" that can make an impact on the listener instead of the usual pop song that simply says "ooh baby I want to love you" over and over. With great looks, and great hooks, good writing, and good performances these two women look to be around a long time. The only semi-bad thing I can say about this package is that too many of the songs, no matter how great they are, seem to be in the same tempo. There could be a little more variety, especially for a live show where ebb and flow are paramount to a good show experience. But these girls are young, and I'm sure that will be corrected in due time, perhaps as Michelle begins to write more material, and the two women collaborate more. That's why I'm giving it four stars instead of five. January 12, 2008

Attended the recording

I was at the concert when this CD was recorded. The Wreckers put on a great show and while I haven't listened to the live recordings, I can tell you that the concert was very good, so I'm guessing the recordings are great too! December 10, 2007

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