You were either on the
Mountain Bus
, or you were not. Those who did like
Gear Fab
's 1998 reissue of the Chicago band's sole album -- and perhaps even some of those who did not -- should find the even more satisfying
Amazing Grace
, which collects the various recordings made by the post-
communal band
Sky Farmer
, to be a welcome treat. From the time the original band was litigated out of existence until its reshuffling and re-emergence with the music found on this archival release, the members of
discovered an even more liberating range of stylistic eclecticism (
certainly started them on the road in that regard) and a more pronounced sense of self-deprecation (for all the moments of aw-shucks insouciance on
Sundance
, there were corresponding stretches of solemn jamming during which the band took itself quite seriously indeed).
has some of the same attributes and characteristics as
, but in other ways it is a whole new gumbo of coalescing musical impulses. The early
rock & roll
piano that opens up
"Okooch Farewell,"
for instance, abruptly gives way during the chorus to a variety of swinging, laid-back hippie
funk
only endemic to the weird and uncategorizable post-
Woodstock
'70s. Much of the rest of the album is saturated by this brand of loose
rock
&
soul
groove (
"Torch Poem"
), with
Annie Hat
's voice at times recalling
Maria Muldaur
or the blue-eyed wail of
Bonnie Bramlett
. But there are also traces of
blues
(
"Out of Hand"
),
R&B
, and particularly
jazz
, especially during the extended cosmic jams, as well as festive
Latin
rhythms and nods to
zydeco
"Senorita"
) and even some
country
licks (
"Playboy After Dark"
). And it is not a little bit -- say, psychedelic? -- hearing a bunch of longhairs covering a
Merle Haggard
song. Good songs (mostly), often excellent playing, it's worth the rediscovery. ~ Stanton Swihart