Music From The North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology

Performer: The Jayhawks
Artist: Nicky Hopkins; Benmont Tench
Producer: Ethan Johns; George Drakoulias; Jim Rondinelli; The Jayhawks; Tom Herbers; Bob Ezrin; Brian Paulson; PD Larson (Compilation); John Jackson (Compilation)
Distributor: Sony Music Entertainment

Notes: Of the musicians who rose to prominence during the alternative country scene's 15 minutes of 1990's media prominence, the Jayhawks were at once the band that best exemplified what was satisfying about the new country rock scene, and a group that avoided the twangy clich�s that became so large a part of what their less gifted peers were doing. The high lonesome melodies and evocative wordplay of Gary Louris and Mark Olson's fine songs suggested a country influence without forcing the particulars into the arrangements (a mandolin here and a fiddle there was enough), and though Louris' guitar work made it clear he'd listened to a few Neil Young albums, the Jayhawks' musical vision made as much room for pure pop and '70s West Coast sounds as rocked-up country. The group's sound became even more eclectic after Olson departed the band in 1996, and over the course of their career, the Jayhawks created a distinctive and powerful body of work that showed clear evolution and fresh thinking on each successive album. In 2008, Louris dropped hints to fans and writers of a "Herculean project" of remastering and expanding the Jayhawks' albums, and MUSIC FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY: THE JAYHAWKS ANTHOLOGY is presumably the first salvo in these efforts, a career-spanning compilation that offers highlights from their five albums for American Recordings as well as one track each from their first two independent efforts. If you've never had the pleasure of listening to the Jayhawks, this collection is a marvelous place to start, and fans will be reminded of just how much good music this group made, and how well it has stood the test of time.

Rolling Stone (p.82) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The Jayhawks exquisite hooks and harmonies are all plain as the Plains..." Spin (p.86) - "[W]ith ringing Everly harmonies, tasteful acoustic-electric arrangements, and fine songwriting." Q (Magazine) (p.123) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[Their] initial career spanned studio albums that helped define alt-country between 1986 and 2003." Pitchfork (Website) - "The songs from BLUE EARTH, HOLLYWOOD TOWN HALL, and 1995's TOMORROW THE GREEN GRASS show the band at the top of their game, making the drama of 'Take Me With You (When You Go)', the narrative specifics of 'Clouds', and eloquent arrangements of 'I'd Run Away' sound easy and natural." Record Collector (magazine) (p.84) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "'Settled Down Like Rain' and 'Over My Shoulder' still have the ability to bring hardened country fans to their knees."

Along with Uncle Tupelo, the Jayhawks were part of the 1980s wave of alt-country (as opposed to 1970s-style country-rock) bands, filtering the influence of artists like Gram Parsons through an alternative rock sensibility. The band's first three albums were powered by two strong singer-songwriters, but when Marc Olson left to collaborate with his wife Victoria Williams, Gary Louris became the leader and moved the band toward a more rock-pop direction for the next couple of albums. 2003's RAINY DAY MUSIC, though, found the Jayhawks adopting a more acoustic, Crosby, Stills & Nash-like sound.

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