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| Chuck RaganGold Country2009 SideOneDummy 
  Review by: Anchors See others by this writer ![[staff]](/images/icons/staffsticker.gif){kind=icon}
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Published on October 16th 2009
It’ll probably be considered heresy to say, but when I first heard Chuck Ragan’s Feast or Famine -- specifically “The Boat” -- all I could think was “this is what he should have been doing all along.”
When it rains, son, it pours, and heaven opens its doors to drop hell straight from the sky / The open road’s gone and the darkness is calm, enough to take your dear life / Stay awake and breathe, and struggle to stay within the lines, down the lonesome road Ole Diesel, please take me home.”Singer-songwriters are a dime a dozen. But Chuck Ragan, well, he’s something special. People who liked this also liked:           Please login or register to post comments. What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?
one of the most soulful releases of 2009, I really like Chuck's voice, it's hypnotizes me) Delicious. Best album of October .. a good choice !!! I thought this was pretty boring, mildly disappointed. Yesterday I got my copy of "CHUCK PLAYS FRANKFURT" a limited to 300 hand numbered Double-Live-LP .. Saint Chuck has done it again .. awesome! If you don't like this album or Chuck's solo material then GOOD. There will be more room at the front of the stage for me to sing and dance around. "see him live, the guy has so much enthusiasm and stage presence..." Thank you telegraphrocks Love Chucks music....great album but maybe not as good as 'Feast or Famine'......see him live, the guy has so much enthusiasm and stage presence...ive never seen an acoustic show that has the same energy as a hardcore show...well when i saw him play anyway....simply fantastic. "Just have a look at www.myspace.com/phelansegur ... then you get an idea why I love these guys from HWM so much, especially Chuck Ragan .. Salute" I'm sorry for "so please shut up!". but the rest is still ok. It's weird. I could not get into Feast or Famine at all, and not for lack of trying. Back then I was whining for HWM to get together and stay together, but now that Gold Country's out I could care less. Still album of the year. Score's still for Gold Country. pfft Feast or Famine was an incredible album on par with almost anything in the HWM catalog. This - not so much. I cannot get over how awesome Chuck is. I guess if you don't really get bhind the whol e"punk rockers turned to roots musicians" then you can't get into this. I cream my pants over any Frank Turner, Chuck Ragan or Tim Barry though. "Singer-songwriters are a dime a dozen. But Chuck Ragan, well, he’s something special." What a fucking good record. Chuck does it again! "You don't find a second performer with such a true heart like Chuck Ragan .. Chuck is the greatest .. so please shut up!" One of my favorites of the year so far. Chuck is amazing. jesus christ. write a good review bro You don't find a second performer with such a true heart like Chuck Ragan .. Chuck is the greatest .. so please shut up! Can't get into this one. I mean it's not terrible, there's just too much "I wish this was a Hot Water Music record" in the way to enjoy it. Best album of the year, easy. I disagree with the comment, "he sounds bored." I think this album sounds much closer to his stellar live show than Feast or Famine did. Chuck pretty much recorded the album himself, so I don't think it was that boring for him. Also having seen him live in Sept. in Cologne with a full band behind him I can safely say the tracks from the album translate perfectly to his live show, oh yeah he played two Rumbleseat songs too. Awesome night I've only listened to it 3-4 times, but so far I'm disappointed. Liked Feast or Famine a lot, this one just isn't resonating with me. Sorry Chuck, not this time. so much old-time in this. good stuff. I forgot to mention the biggest problem with this album... his voice lacks sincerity and passion. When he sings it sounds like he's just going through the motions, there's no urgency or real meaning behind his voice, minus a few parts like where he shouts "Ol Diesel, pleast take me home". The reason those parts stand out isn't because they're amazing, it's because you can hear what you heard with HWM and parts of Feast Of Famine, and it's finally resonating with you again. I know that kind of criticism can't be objectively backed up as much as I'd like, but I just know I can hear a sense of boredom in his voice. Maybe live it would be different. I think the studio setting has a huge effect on some people... I mean how can you feel sincere bellowing out your words to an audience of a microphone and some guy working the levels? And then repeating it over and over until it sounds right must make you so bored you don't even mean it anymore, and... I don't know. I just know I can feel a sense of boredom/lack of urgency throughout almost the entire album, and it kills it completely. I really wish it would just be Hot Water Music again. I loved Feast Or Famine once upon a time, but really only the non-country songs. Anything twangy just rubs me the total wrong way, I guess because I'm Canadian. I'm not going to listen to this just because it's Chuck Ragan, there needs to be more than that and it falls short. The last song on this record is fucking awful. The rest are just pretty mediocre, except Don't Say A Word which I like quite a bit. I like folk-influenced stuff and acoustic stuff, but country-influenced is just not for me at all. To me, any current (Rumbleseat, Blacktop Cadence and Crows ruled) project that isn't HWM is just a total waste of time. I really think this album is a step backwards for human evolution I really think this album is a step down from Feast or Famine. My god, this dude-from-rockin-band-goes-solo folk/country thing has gotten stale. Great Review. Gold Country will most certainly be in my top five of 09. Okay. I'll break the 'I still heart Hot Water Music so much and this is just as good if not better' circle jerking. Album of the year for me, beating out Lucero's new album. All the songs are great no 2 songs are alike. From For Goodness Sake, to Bring them all Home the album is Golden no filler. Can't wait for the Revival Tour. Album of the year. Not a single weak track on this baby. I hope he can see to it to bring his live show across Canada someday. Rotterdam is one of the finest songs Chuck has written so far .. simply purrrfect .. I can't get it out of my ears since I've heard it live in February ... Top Five easily for me. Might beat Supporting Caste for top spot. The re-recorded Ole Diesel is worth it alone. Five minutes into my first listen, I knew this album was something special and it only gets better every time I listen. Score is for "For Goodness Sake." |
