Blue Sky

This album is incredible. The lyrics, music and musicianship are all in a rowq. I won't bother mentioning my favorite songs, give it a listen yourself and make up your mind. Basically you just can't go wrong with a Bottle Rockets album. Bit of advice to the uninitiated: Go see the Bottle Rockets live and they will quickly become your favorite new band (even though they've been around over 12 years or so).

This is not the album to start with the Bottle Rockets. The songwriting is more reflective and some of the songs deal with death and loss. Still, this is a band that should have had many more fans. I saw them live before they broke up and they rocked hard and well even though they were still touring the country from an old white van. I'm sure this fact helped lead to Heinemann's retirement at age 60. That's a tough life on the body for decades. Too bad for everyone. I recommend THE BROOKLYN SIDE and SOUTH BROADWAY ATHLETIC CLUB. Eventually, you may come back to this album and enjoy it too. I'm sorry to know that there will be no more new music from this band, one of the best of the "alternative country" bands of the 90s and 00s.

Wow! This was such a find for me four years ago. I had no idea who the Bottle Rockets were, I had just heard one of their songs on a local station and loved what I heard. The whole CD is great. It's folky-rock with great lyrics and REAL musicians! I bought it again for my brother as a gift. Can't go wrong here!!

The Bottle Rockets have long-been one of the hardest-rocking bands of the so-called alt-country movement. With "Blue Sky," the once-dubbed "Best Bar Band in America" has turned out an introspective and sometimes irreverent record that makes an evolutionary leap from its previous work and may be the band's best album since the critically acclaimed "The Brooklyn Side." The songs on "Blue Sky" range from the travails of the working class in Middle America ("Lucky Break, "Man of Constant Anxiety") to reflections on a world changed by the huge events of 9-11 (Baggage Claim) and more personal tragedies, such as losing your parents (Mom & Dad). Much of the music still rings with the Rockets' signature guitar sound and some of it still rocks but additional instrumentation, including steel guitars, dobro and organ create a lush, rich sound. One for the longtime fans and a record that may even garner the band a new following. Also if you haven't seen them live, check them out. New member John Horton helps make these songs shine on stage.

I love the Bottle Rockets, but this isn't their best work. Some really good songs but some duds too.

I've followed these guys for years, & I always hear their so-called die-hard fans complaining about one thing or another. When "Brand New Year" came out, they were whining. When they did a tribute to Doug Sahm, the knives were out in full force. Now? Well it seems the critics don't like the style of this disc either. My advice? Stop calling yourselves fans, and follow another band that doesn't have the balls or creativity to do anything different. As for this disc, it ranks up there with their best material. The songwriting is as strong as ever. Sure some tunes are different, but what do you expect, the same stuff over and over? It may not be "Brooklyn Side" but what is? (...)

They fall apart here....gone are the sly lyrics and joy in playing. See ya. Best songs are earnest but not up to their standards.

I have every Bottle Rockets CD to date, I enjoy everyone of them.I seen them live in Champaign Illinois in November 2003 and Theyblew me away, Every song has been written from the heart and really touches home to me. Blue Sky is now my favorite Cd. I play in an alt country band and I plan to add even more Bottle Rockets songs to my set list !!! I can't say enough about Brian Henneman's strong vocals and his ability to get such a great tone from an old Pevey guitar. I noticed he had Billy Joe Shaver's autograph on his guitar and that confermed what I already knew....This guy has great taste !!!!!You can't go wrong with Shaver or the Bottle Rockets.

great album......like all their others

Nie hätte ich geglaubt, dass es sich hierbei um eine Bottle Rockets Aufnahme handeln könnte! Sie verhält sich zu den sonstigen Bottle Rockets, wie z.B. Zoysia, in etwa so wie Wildlife zu Mott The Hoople - falls das noch jemandem was sagt?! Erwartet man in beiden Fällen mehr oder minder ruppigsten rauesten Roots-Rock und Rock'n'Roll - vor allem im zweiten Fall - bekommt man tatsächlich Ausflüge in Richtung Country und zudem eine Stimme, die man wirklich nicht erwartet hat, sowie ein Songwriting, dass nicht aus der Standardfeder stammt. Also alles in allem schon sehr passende Gründe, warum das in beiden Fällen so sehr anders klingt...Blue Sky wird zu einer Zeit aufgenommen, als zwei der Gründungsmitglieder die Band gerade verlassen haben. Vor allem fehlt der Leadgitarrist - und irgendwie die Lust...bei Brian Henneman; er singt nicht mehr alle Songs, er schreibt sie vor allem nicht und Produktion, Konzeption und weite Teile der Lead-Gitarren-Arbeit überlässt er einem Externen - Warren Haynes, dem musikalischen Tausensassa auf so vielen Hochzeiten (u.a. Allmans, Gov't Mule). Und was man nun bekommt sind erstens reife, auskomponierte Songs, die ganz erheblich vom sonstigen Bottle Rockets Hard-Rock-Schunkelschema abweichen, geschrieben sind sie in der Mehrzahl von Scott Taylor, einem erstklassigen Country-Songwriter, Scott Taylor Band, und weisen damit eine erheblich Drift in Country-Gefilde auf, was nicht so sehr hüftschwingende trabende Gäule meint, sondern mehr in Richtung verhaltenem Country-Folk und noch verhaltenerem Country-Blues zielt - und das der Band zumindest dieses eine mal ausgezeichnet bekommt. Hinzu kommt, dass Henneman seine Stimme zurücknimmt. Klar, es gibt diesmal ja keinen zu pressenden Schunkelrockgesang sondern einfach Lieder, auskomponierte Songs - und die singt er tatsächlich einfach....oder überlässt sie der kleinen Stimme des Bassisten Robert Kearns, was die einfach auf wundervolle, stilsichere Art erledigt. Das dritte, massiv auf Veränderung wirkende Moment ist definitiv Warren Haynes: glasklarer, transparenter Sound, dezente hochmelodiöse Leadgitarren in jeder Gangart, immer darauf achtend den einzelnen Songs die passende Soundfärbung zu geben, ob akustisch oder verstärkt, ob den Rhythmus unterstützend oder die Lead-Stimme des jeweiligen Sängers doppelnd - wobei Haynes sich beim Soundbasteln an den Keyboards von Mark Spencer, sonst an den Gitarren bei Jay Farrar und zuvor bei den Blood Oranges zuhause, unterstützen lässt.Wer nun Angst bekommt, dass das rootsige, reduzierte bis rumpelrockig monotone Bottle Rockets-Element völlig verloren gegangen sein könnte - nein, selbstverständlich nicht, da gibt's weiterhin die schrabbeligen Rocksongs wie Pretty Little Angie in typischer Henneman Stimm- und Gitarren-Handschrift - wenig Komposition, großer Effekt. Passt einfach alles zusammen, auch in seinen Gegensätzen. Song für Song, ebenso wie im Ganzen, ist das einfach ein Klasseteil eines fexiblen Americana Roots-Rock - hätt ich ihnen nie zugetraut, geb ich zu!

I like this sound