Disappointed
author: Mike Johnson
The singer's voice blends in with the music on the much of the disk. What might be interesting to listen to becomes muddled.
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...a very strong recording...many unique tracks...overflows with promise.
author: Hybrid Magazine
Portico is the freshman effort by The Mudville Project, a collection of veterans on the Tulsa scene, who have managed to put together a great roots rock album... a lot of influence from alt. country and good old fashioned rock and roll... combining the worlds of John Mellencamp, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Buddy Holly with an indie/roots spin.
Great hooks... this reminds me of some of the great bands I saw as a kid at county fairs and local festivals who still had originality, and were in it for the music, unlike many bands out there.
Overall, this is a very strong recording with many unique tracks that overflows with promise. This album does not disappoint, and is well worth a listen for any fan of rockabilly or roots rock. These guys have a lot of talent and I am excited to see what comes of their next album.--Liger Woods
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...sounds fitted for a late-night drive or a post-break-up lament.
author: label worthy
The Mudville Project blends tasteful alt-country elements (see banjo, pedal steel, and theremin -- yes, we said theremin) with Iron-and-Wine-like vocals, forming sounds fitted for a late-night drive or a post-break-up lament. Ask the group about their sound, and they'll tell you to think of Uncle Tupelo and Lou Reed, whereas Label Worthy will add Pink Floyd, Doves, and Califone to that finely simmering stew of twanged-up rock. The first minute alone of "Home Again" is worth a listen... whether or not you're a fan of anything country, you can't deny that this music is memorable and well-crafted.
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Suffuse with atmosphere and re-listenable in an almost addictive way...
author: Oklahoma Gazette
The Mudville Project is quite clearly Tulsa resident Greg Klaus' baby--as the group's lyricist, arranger, vocalist, guitarist and occasional lap steel player, Klaus is the driving force behind this collection of starkly rendered, tumbleweed-studded rock. "Portico," Mudville's freshman effort, was recorded in Nashville, Tenn., and Tulsa, bleeding dark country soul along the way.
From the feedback-laced majesty of "The Tea" to the winning ramble of "Home Again," Mudville evokes images of a close-knit band plowing through rehearsals in some windswept ramshackle house, stranded on a high, lonely stretch of prairie. Klaus' reedy, powerful vocals thread through the dense, expert music executed by compatriots Matt Brantley, Randy Patton, and Grant Vespasian.
Suffuse with atmosphere and re-listenable in an almost addictive way, "Portico" marks another Okie band to watch. --Preston Jones
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