Mark Erelli
Hillbilly Pilgrim

(Signature Sounds)

First Appeared at The Music Box, May 2004, Volume 11, #5

Written by T.J. Simon

On Hillbilly Pilgrim, Mark Erelli enlisted Boston-based, Western swingers The Spurs for support, and the resulting album is a spotty, but largely enjoyable, collection of classic country, revivalist fare that undoubtedly will please fans of BR549 and Wayne Hancock.

The Good Stuff: On songs like Brand New Baby, Erelli keeps the action fun, upbeat, and short to the benefit of the listener. His voice shares a similar pitch to Buddy Holly’s, which works tremendously well on the rockabilly cover of Clarence Gibson’s Troubles (These Lonesome Kind), and his tongue-in-cheek Christmas number Ain’t No Time of Year to Be Alone is just begging to be utilized on a hard-luck, country-tinged, holiday compilation. The album’s highlight, however, is Pretend, a duet with the always terrific Erin McKeown. In addition, hats off to fiddler Rich Dubois whose fiery contributions give the album a warm, full sound.

The Not So Good Stuff: On a handful of the tracks, Erelli gets a bit over-earnest and long-winded, much to the album’s detriment. On a collection of self-proclaimed hillbilly music, there is no reason that any of its songs should creep north of the five-minute mark as witnessed on The Farewell Ball and A Bend in the River. Likewise, his good intentions on the gospel-folk Pilgrim Highway leave the listener without a payoff. In spite of these weak moments, however, there’s more than enough good stuff on Hillbilly Pilgrim to warrant a listen.

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Ratings

1 Star:   Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2004 The Music Box