BOTTLE ROCKETS
Brand New Year (New West)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner

---

Brand New Year is one of two early Bottle Rockets CDs that New West Records will reissue in April. The other, Leftovers, relies less on Brian Henneman's forceful electric guitar and more on the acoustic side of the Bottle Rockets. Brand New Year was a departure from the Bottle Rocket's folk/country roots, and the guys picked up the electric guitar and plugged in with gusto. The hard-charging "Let Me Know" and "Gotta Get Up" are both closer to The Clash or The Replacements than the alt-country of the band's early 90's work, and decades earlier, "Brand New Year" would have been right at home on Neil Young's Zuma. Brand New Year is a strong collection of rock songs, and there's glimpses of their early acoustic work on the CD's closer, "Another Brand New Year."

Track List:

Nancy Sinatra * Alone in Bad Company * I've Been Dying * Sometimes Found * Headed for the Ditch * Helpless * Let Me Know * Brand New Year * Dead Dog Memories * The Bar's On Fire * White Boy Blues * Gotta Get Up * Love Like a Truck * Another Brand New Year

© 2004 - Eric Steiner