RSS Feed Bentley's Bandstand
Oxford, Mississippi, being a college town, has an abundant audience for all kinds of music. Blue Mountain could once have qualified as the house band there, but then the members went their separate ways. Luckily for Oxford and everywhere else, they’re back together and better than ever. Cary Hudson, Laurie Stirratt and Frank Coutch are steeped in Southern rock without really being Southern rockers, just like their roots in alt-country are bona fide, but that’s not who they are either. In fits and jerks Blue Mountain created their own style until breaking up in 2001, and while they never really made a national splash doesn’t mean their audience didn’t miss them when they were gone. This is their fifth studio album, and it sounds like the musicians did some major exploring when they were apart. The band still knows how to rock, but so many of their new songs, like “70’s Song” and “Butterfly” have a much more pronounced introspection. It’s apparent they didn’t try to pick up exactly where they left off. The growth has been good for everybody, and points to the chance Midnight In Mississippi might be the album to take them well beyond the Mason Dixon line. Blue Mountain has always been stuck in a hard spot. They’re not a jam band, though that audience has always appreciated them, and they’re not exactly a regular rock group either. What they do best is mix everything together, shake it up beyond immediate recognition, and let it all fall where it may. Fans of bluegrass, country, rock, gospel and anything else that strikes their fancy are suggested to get in line right here. No one wants this trio to go away another seven years. And for those who missed the band the first time around, there’s Omnibus, a newly recorded collection of older songs. Either way, Blue Mountain is back and proud.
