Tomorrow The Green Grass

オルタナティヴ・カントリーの先駆的バンド、ジェイホークスの1995年の4thアルバム

Village Voice - Ranked #37 in Village Voice's 1995 Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll. Entertainment Weekly - "...This is everything a country-rock album should be. Even those who normally can't stand the genre are likely to be seduced by the plaintive vocal harmonies, pristine melodies, and scrappy-but-lyrical guitar solos..." - Rating: A- Q - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...Mark Olson and Gary Louris lead their slightly expanded six-piece band through a string of beautifully bracing folk-tinged pop songs stunning in their simplicity. Their trademark, winsome vocal harmonies move from aching to expansive with captivating ease..." Rolling Stone - 3.5 Stars - Very Good - "...there's always a riff or two that suggest that someone in the band has one hell of a record collection. That's fitting, since the Jayhawks reflect rock's past much more than its future. They're not backward looking, though--they just like their music simple and direct..." Spin - 7 - Recommended - "...They pick up where they left off, stranded between a promise and a hard place. The harmonies of [Gary] Louris and Mark Olson are as clean as the emotions are muddled, as though every beacon of grace was a mirage, and each hard-won blessing a curse..." Musician - "...when nostalgia is handled this eloquently and with such craft it's welcome....These songs contain moments of reflection and intimate sing-along hooks, just the kind of stuff that pervaded early FM "alternative" radio of yesteryear..." NME - 7 - Very Good - "...the country harmonies that Mark Olson contrives with guitar hero Gary Louris attain that upliftingly sad tinge of gospel that was once the heavenly terrain of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris..." Mojo - 4 stars out of 5 -- "TOMORROW THE GREEN GRASS reined in the Neil Young and ramped up The Waterboys as a backwoods fiddle sawed away throughout..." Record Collector - 4 stars out of 5 -- "'I'd Run Away' and 'Miss Williams' Guitar' are the highlights..."

The Jayhawks' final record with singer/songwriter Mark Olson, Tomorrow the Green Grass is also the group's finest. While the band's earlier efforts perfected a more traditional brand of country-rock, their fourth record is marvelously eclectic, both musically and emotionally; never before had they rocked as hard as on "Real Light," dug as painfully deep as on "Two Hearts," or hit quite the same peaks of exuberance as on "Miss Williams' Guitar," a tribute to Olson's new wife, neo-folkie Victoria Williams. The addition of keyboardist Karen Grotberg brings rich new layers to the Jayhawks' sound, as does the inclusion of a string section on cuts like "Blue" and "I'd Run Away," a soaring pop song that's quite possibly the best thing the group ever recorded. A fitting legacy, indeed. ~ Jason Ankeny|