Search - Flying Burrito Bros :: Back to the Sweethearts of the Rodeo

Another Burrito supreme

Burritoman "USA" | Pennsylvania | 12/11/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the only two-cd set (excluding a 1972 lp-only live set and compilations) the Burritos have yet released. And it is a real beauty. John Beland and Gib Guilbeau deliver great performances on every cut. The originals are superb and the covers show their impeccable taste. The additional musicians are excellent too; the steel player is Wayne Bridge, who a decade later would replace Sneeky Pete as a full-fledged member of The Flying Burrito Brothers. There are many classics on these discs, so I'll name only a few: the title cut, a look back at the old days of the California country-rock scene while reveling in the present (a theme Beland has returned to on subsequent Burritos albums with equal success); 'Carry Me', a gorgeous folk ballad which features some choice Beland vocals); 'Burning Embers', a straight country weeper which you will count among their best; 'Moonlight Rider', the most experimental Burritos track to date; 'Last Call', a great honky tonk raveup; their cover of 'Take A Message To Mary', where John and Gib harmonise and pay tribute to the Everly Brothers; and many, many more. Not all the tracks were apparently finished, so there's an ingratiating raw sound to it, but even unfinished music by the Burrito Brothers is better country-rock than you'll hear by anyone else. "Back To The Sweetheart Of The Rodeo" isn't a cheap purchase, but worth every cent. Another Burrito supreme to savor."