THE DUST POETS - World at Large

The Dust Poets’ fourth album is a masterful collection of folk and country songs commenting on such subject matter as homelessness (World at Large) and love and technology (Skeletons in Your Inbox). While the musicianship and songwriting is solid right from the beginning, the album really hits its stride with the cover of Woody Guthrie’s Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key. The Dust Poets’ range of musical instruments from guitar and mandolin to saxophone and clarinet, and their ability to play their instruments well, make for eclectic, bluegrass-inspired country-folk pop songs. Codeine Dreams sounds like a Gram Parsons inspired alt-country ode to addiction and the desire “to be normal again,” while I Won’t Set Down is a bluegrass number about restlessness and longing. The striking lyrics and honed playing make it easy to see that these folks have been playing together for quite some time.

Published in Volume 64, Number 6 of The Uniter (October 8, 2009)

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