WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING:
"[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
"[The Reckoning] is a rough, visceral collection of songs that rip through a personal landscape of love and loss."
The Chicago Sun-Times
"[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
"[Anderson's] gravelly voice and insightful songwriting lift his down-and-out characters out of the ordinary and into the realm of legend."
The Stranger
"Anderson´s ability to write masterful songs of political, romantic, and carefree impressional tones is a skill that remains difficult to rival."
Obscure Sound
"[Anderson] is distilling down his ideas, refining his craft and making exceptional, emotionally taut music."
Miles of Music
"The Reckoning sucks you in, but it´s the lyrics that last, as each song weaves a tapestry of love, loss, and loneliness."
Ink 19
[The Reckoning] is a must-hear...it's full of crackle and buzz..."
The Albany Times Union
"[Anderson] is equally at home with introspective ballads as he is with political dirges..."
The Onion A.V. Club
"The Reckoning is a masterpiece."
Tone
"The Reckoning is - quite simply - stunning."
The Portland Tribune
"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]one of those extraordinary brands of songwriters that stop and touch the hearts of all Americans and even rouse some to pick up the guitar."
Performer Magazine
"The Reckoning is 10 tracks about isolation, relationships, eerie political imagery and Guthrian tales of the downtrodden in a landscape ranging from the haunting intro to melancholic ballads and old-fashioned country rock barn-burners..."
The Prescott Daily Courier
"[Anderson] meshes a strong storyteller's ethic with a heightened sense of melody."
The Athens Banner-Herald
"[The Reckoning is] an album of rare organic beauty that sounds like the most familiar thing you've never heard."
The Cascadia Weekly
"Kasey Anderson might have penned the most powerful anti-Dubya anthem yet..."
Illinois Entertainer
"[The Reckoning] is something striking and unpredictable."
Mastan Music
"[Anderson's lyrics] paint a chaotic world of flooded streets and characters with blood on their hands."
The Albany Daily Gazette
"[The Reckoning] carries a heavy load. It's a gravel-road grouping of somber yet forceful folk-inspired songs..."
Flagpole
"[Anderson] is a talent that deserves to be heard."
The Missoula Independent
"[The Reckoning] does the rough alt.country sound proud."
Songs:Illinois
"Kasey Anderson's abstracted musings on the victories and vexations of the common man transcend the big twang influence of acts such as Steve Earle and Ryan Adams."
The Augusta Chronicle
"[Anderson] writes songs that are almost anthems."
Aiding and Abetting
"Anderson has the sustained ability to walk the tracks his heroes left behind."
Altcountrytab.ca
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 (Ryan Adams, The Bottle Rockets, Blue Mountain), 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 is at once unflinchingly personal and unapologetically political, and one 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 price we pay; the circumstances and sacrifices that lead to those changes.”
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 backing band 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, Tift Merritt, Jesse Malin, Peter Case, 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.
