I Don't Know Where I'm Going But I'm On My Way

Old 97’s bassist Murry Hammond’s first solo album reveals just how responsible he is for the “roots’ elements in his band’s music which has always teetered between mountain-based country and electric guitar fueled hard rock pop. Featuring American traditionals, Carter Family originals, and Hammond’s own Americana-laced songwriting, the album manages to evoke an old world of railroad train songs and gospel spirituals without being a completely retro-styled act. Hammond invests real emotion in these pleas for salvation (“I Believe, I Believe”), for a world swept away by the conveniences of modern life (“Other, Younger Days”), and for those reoccurring train cars that continue to excite him far more than the modern world (“Riding the Rods,” “As You Roll Across the Trestle”). The back-up group is kept sparse, adding touches of percussion and stand-up bass (Hammond adds the few touches of electric bass) to his acoustic guitars and carefully applied harmonium. It’s a rich tradition he’s mining and he never emits an ironic pose. This music is his first love and he would do nothing to dishonor that affection.