Faithless Street

Performer: Whiskeytown
Engineer: Greg Woods; Whiskeytown; Chris Stamey; Tim Harper
Producer: Whiskeytown; Chris Stamey
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Originally released on Moodfood Records, this remixed reissue contains new artwork and bonus tracks. Whiskeytown: Ryan Adams, Phil Wandscher (vocals, guitar); Caitlin Cary (vocals, violin); Steve Grothman (bass); Eric "Skillet" Gilmore (drums). Additional personnel: Bob Ricker (pedal steel); Nicholas Petti (pedal steel, banjo, accordion). Recorded at the Funny Farm, Apex, North Carolina and at Captured Live!, Durham, North Carolina. Includes liner notes by Caitlin Cary. Personnel: Phil Wandscher, Ryan Adams (vocals, guitar); Caitlin Cary (vocals, violin). Audio Mixers: Chris Stamey; Tim Harper. Audio Remixer: Chris Stamey. Liner Note Authors: Ryan Adams; Caitlin Cary. Recording information: Captured Live!, Durham, NC; Funny Farm, Apex, NC. Photographers: Ray Duffy; Ryan Adams; Caitlin Cary. Much has been made of Whiskeytown's turbulent, short-lived life and the antics and attitude of its lead singer and songwriter Ryan Adams. But all that falls by the wayside with one listen to the alt-country youngsters' 1996 debut FAITHLESS STREET. Though its antecedents are easy enough to trace (Uncle Tupelo, anyone?), FAITHLESS STREET updates the classic country-rock sound with enough grit and sincerity to make it fresh and vital. In part this vitality comes from Adams's punk rock background: there is enough muscle and DIY attitude here to spawn any number of front-porch alt-country wannabes. But the real weapon is Adams' songwriting, be it the spiraling melancholy of opener "Midway Park," the waltz-time beauty of the title track, or the serious country perfection of "Matrimony." The musicians--with their weeping pedal steel, steady backbeats, and fierce electric guitars (not to mention Caitlin Cary's fine violin and vocals)--are no slouches either. FAITHLESS STREET deserves a place alongside seminal alt-country albums by Uncle Tupelo and the Jayhawks, which is high praise indeed.

Q (9/00, p.135) - Included in Q's "Best Alt.Country Albums Of All Time" - "...The last great alt.country album." Option (11-12/97, p.138) - "...Whiskeytown writes good songs, the kind you might actually find yourself singing. When they aren't pushing the cornpone...their garage-country has the warm glow of familiarity..."

Along with Uncle Tupelo, Whiskeytown is in many ways the quintessential alt-country band. Flaunting a boozy aesthetic more suited to CBGBs than the Ryman Auditorium, the band nonetheless produced some of the most heartfelt, twang-laden rock songs of the 1990s. With their cult status firmly in place, Whiskeytown parted ways after only four albums, while frontman Ryan Adams went on to have a successful and prolific (though controversial and hit-or-miss) solo career, releasing three albums in 2005 alone.

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