Music
Press
"[Anderson] is equally at home with introspective ballads as he is with political dirges..."
- The Onion A.V. Club
"Kasey Anderson has managed to stand out in a genre bursting at the seams with poetic, alt.country crooner types."
- The Eugene Weekly
"[Anderson is] a literate working man’s poet... and songs like “Don’t Look Back” and “For St. Ann’s” are surrealistic, visionary ballads..."
Paste
- Paste Magazine
"[The Reckoning] carries a heavy load. It's a gravel-road grouping of somber yet forceful folk-inspired songs..."
- Flagpole
"[Anderson] is one to watch in the alt.country scene." - Punk Planet
"[The Reckoning] delivers on the promise of 2004's Eric Ambel-produced Dead Roses -- and then some. A versatile and confident songwriter and singer, Anderson nails these hard-luck tales with grit and gumption." - No Depression
Dead Roses voted the #4 album of 2004 by Matt Ryan of the Village Voice. - The Village Voice
"Anderson's doleful Americana is the melancholy sound of gravel roads and broken-down love." - The San Francisco Examiner
"[The Reckoning] is a rough, visceral collection of songs that rip through a personal landscape of love and loss."
- The Chicago Sun-Times
"[The Reckoning] is a must-hear...it's full of crackle and buzz..."
- The Albany Times-Union
Discography
Dead Roses (October, 2004)
The Reckoning (September, 2007)
Photos
Bio
"An emerging and fascinating voice..."
- Copper Press
Previous Releases
Dead Roses (2004)
Current Project
The Reckoning - Release Date: Fall, 2007
After the release of Dead Roses, his 2004 album, Kasey Anderson found himself suddenly on the radar of critics nationwide. Publications from No Depression to Punk Planet praised Dead Roses and listed Anderson as "one to watch in the alt.country scene" (Punk Planet). While such positive critical response was not surprising given the quality of Anderson's work (Matt Ryan of The Village Voice listed Dead Roses as the #5 album of 2004), it did set expectations rather high when Anderson entered the studio to record the follow-up to Dead Roses.
Working once again with producer Eric "Roscoe" Ambel (The Bottle Rockets, Blue Rodeo), who helmed Dead Roses, 27-year-old Anderson's goal was simple and clear: to create characters that would resonate, clearly conveying the hope, rage and fear that Anderson saw in the lives of so many, regardless of culture or geography. The result is The Reckoning, an album that will undoubtedly expand and broaden Anderson's audience and leave a lasting impression on critics and listeners alike. While The Reckoning is not your typical "concept record," Anderson admits to a very strong thematic thread throughout the album. "These characters are all at odds with their circumstances, they're all in a position to make a choice for change," he says. "These songs are about the moments that lead to those choices, and the consequences of the decisions made."
The songs on The Reckoning reflect Anderson's reaction to what he has seen unfold before him in the time since the release of Dead Roses, both personally and in a larger context. From the album's title track, a sprawling, politically charged dirge set against a backdrop of feedback and pounding drums, to the beautifully sparse, piano-driven closing track, "For St. Ann's," Anderson puts a human face to problems too often expressed in rhetorical terms. The Reckoning is a singular songwriting achievement, which highlights Anderson's growth as a writer, and his dedication to weaving evocative, character-driven lyrics into a broad sonic landscape. With the help of Ambel and a cast of musical all-stars including Keith Christopher (Billie Joe Shaver, The Georgia Satellites), Catherine Popper (Ryan Adams and the Cardinals), and Rob Arthur (Peter Frampton), Anderson has crafted an album that expands on the raw intensity of Dead Roses while showing his progression and maturity as a songwriter and musician.
In short, with The Reckoning, Anderson has delivered on the promise and potential shown on Dead Roses; after spending the last few years sharing the stage with the likes of Steve Earle, Jesse Malin, Marah, and the Supersuckers, The Reckoning offers evidence that Anderson is well on his way to earning a place alongside those names. The songwriter Copper Press referred to as "an emerging and fascinating voice" continues to prove he is indeed one to watch, and one we'll be watching for a long time to come.
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