Sunday 17 March 2019

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band


Rating: 3/5

Review:
A bit disappointing

For me this album hasn’t aged very well. It’s the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s first album from 1967 and although the musicianship and enthusiasm is still evident, the material and arrangements don’t sound all that good any more.

It may be that I’ve grown up a little in the half century since this came out, so I’ve heard a lot more music. For example, compared to the great original of Candy Man by Mississippi John Hurt or the brilliant cover by Chris Smither, this sounds pretty bland. The pot-pourri ofByrds-like harmonies, vaudeville and a bit of bluegrass seem rather an uneasy mixture now and although there are some enjoyable moments, as an album it’s not great.

I went back to this just to see what I’d liked all those years ago but was a bit disappointed. You may feel differently, but I can’t really recommend it.

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