I've been fortunate enough to see The Mutineers on several occasions and, before that, Stuart MacDonald performing solo. I'm amazed at how far he has come in such a short time and how well the guys sound together now and on this album. In an era where musicians seem to cater to what they think we want to hear, these guys are a throwback. The Mutineers play what they like and, without fail, it ends up being something you like, too, but never would have discovered on your own. I could listen to "Lakes of Ponchartrain" and "Lily of the West" over and over--and I have. The most exciting part to me is that "Where Mockinbirds Roam" is The Mutineers' first effort so the best is probably still to come. Keep 'em coming, guys.

A fantastic collection of songs! I've seen the Mutineers perform a few times in the Portland area and it's always a treat. If you appreciate good home-made acoustic sounds, especially folk and blues, and good people, buy this cd and go see them live! Seriously. I could listen to "Lakes of Pontchartrain" all day and "Old Joe's Barroom" all night til the day I die. This is great.

As pleasant as an unexpected summer evening zephyr is the local acoustic trio The Mutineers. "Where Mockingbirds Roam" is their new CD, and listening to it makes me wish I was sitting on a porch swing watching fireflies and hearing the screen door shut as someone appears with a tray of lemonade and watermelon. This is not to say it's all roses and sunshine; several Mutineers songs express heartache and blues, but they are perfectly dressed in just the right amount of mandolin, harmonica, banjo, dobro, acoustic bass and certainly guitar. Lead vocalist Stuart MacDonald has a sweet ache in his voice that carries songs like "Delia Blues" along a thorny path of lonesome woes.

The Mutineers are classic and traditional, laid-back and utterly acoustic in their timelessness. . . There’s nothing silly about the Mutineers. They declare themselves a pretty serious bunch with the traditional "Motherless Child" (no, not the Depeche Mode tune), which opens their full-length debut, Where Mockingbirds Roam. Covered by everyone from Eric Clapton to the Blind Boys of Alabama, it’s a mournful song that the Mutineers make all the more sober and wistful, full of lilting harmonica a soulful guitar break nicely executed by Richard Hodges. Singer Stuart MacDonald (who also organized all the arrangements here) has some great flexibility. He can do a high-voiced Neil Young thing, as on "Lakes of Pontchartrain," just as easily as he can do a more low-voiced Richard Thompson on "Lily of the West." The latter tune is probably the coolest one here, helped by Willam Colehower’s drums and cool old-timey lyrics that reference "Shady Grove." Throughout the disc, the trio make good use of their spare instrumentation, never threatening to overpower a song, and showing good restraint in their pacing. As every musician knows, it’s hard to play slow and sound good than to play fast and hope people don’t notice when you screw up. The Mutineers play slow and sound great. Particularly, "Across the Blue Mountain" has the possibility to be that song that some poor schmuck listens to about 1000 times, after his girlfriend leaves him for his roommate and tells him she just wants to be friends. Oh yes, it’s some serious cry in your beer music. - Sam Pfeifle, Portland Phoenix October 2005