There has to be more than a little bit of Rear Admiral David Farragut in Doug Kwartler. After two well-received earlier recordings, assembling the third can present a bit of a stumbling block that a lot of artists stub their creative toes upon. Well, none of that for Kwartler : what does he do? he takes the bull by the horns and releases a double disc set. Not recommended for the faint of heart. The first CD, titled Just About to Die , resonates with echoes of Dixieland, folk, mountain bluegrass, (“Just Walk Away” features some great fiddle sawin'), and some whimsical moments, as in “Closest New York Friend”. As in his previous work, Kwartler handles the lion's share of the instrumentation, with some assistance from a few judiciously chosen sidemen. Aficionados of Kwartler's more aggressive persona will find their fix on Strong , the second disc, with its anthemed title track being a personal favourite. There's definitely more roll herein, but the same intelligence and detail that has always marked Kwartler's songwriting is evident in abundance. There's not a superfluous song to be found. Way to go Doug, “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead”.  - Don Grant - Freighttrainboogie.com
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The best investment you can make this year. Just about the time you think Doug can't come up with anything catchier than the last tune, whap, there's another one. One of the finest modern American songwriters, for my money.
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