Professional Reviews for HOME AGAIN
Category: Music
(Note - this post will be updated/re-dated with new reviews and quotes for HOME AGAIN as and when they are given to us.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added 8/3/07
 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added 7/31/07
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added 7/31/07
from the July '07 issue of The Sounding Board, the official newsletter of the Martin Guitar Company.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added 7/16/07
Celebrating classic folk-rock
Reviewed May 2007
|
Half of the under-appreciated '70s folk-rock duo Batdorf and Rodney, singer-songwriter John Batdorf has a new album out that recalls the heyday of the acoustic guitar-backing-vocal-harmonies age. Eight new songs and re-recorded versions of a couple old Batdorf and Rodney staples, "Home Again" is as fun an album as Batdorf has ever been involved with.
Fans of the old duo will be delighted to see Mark Rodney on harmony vocals both on a revamped version of "Home Again," as well as on "Where Are You Now?", which has only been available on the "Live at McCabes" album. Both tracks stand among the very best the two have done together, and hearing them together again after 30 years is truly a treat.
Fans of Batdorf's more recent recordings will be glad to know that he's joined here by collaborators James Lee Stanley and Bill Batstone. Stanley, in particular, provides a ready foil to Batdorf's own guitar work. And Batdorf's two sons, Brett and Matt, provide some harmony vocals as well, adding a familial touch.
Batdorf's singing is better than ever, his songwriting as strong as always, the supporting cast outstanding.
Anyone who digs the acoustic singer-songwriter school or '70s folk rock is likely to enjoy the groove Batdorf and Co. have laid down here.
Review by Jim Trageser. Jim is a writer and editor living in Escondido, Calif., and was a contributor to the "Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD" (1993) and "The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Blues" (2005).
Added 7-16-07:
from 
Artist: John Batdorf
CD Name: Home Again
Artist Site: John Batdorf
-Review by Kimmi Rudolph for Bitchin' Entertainment
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added 7/14/07
Posted By Corey Koehler | July 14, 2007 on Musicgoat
John Batdorf too.
Check out Musicgoat on Myspace ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added 7/2/07
Independent and Major Label Artist Music Promotion
New music information, independent music promotion, and music resources. A valuable network for music artists and fans.July 1st, 2007
It's the perfect time to experience the music of John Batdorf. John truly knows he is Home Again, and there is no better place to be. Anyone who appreciates good music must appreciate John Batdorf. His energy driven vocals singing heartfelt lyrics, accompanied by perfect harmonic melodies are not to be forgotten. John leaves a long lasting impression the very second his acoustic guitar is in his hands. Longtime fans will know that John Batdorf's journey began in 1970 with Mark Rodney, and they were known as "Batdorf and Rodney". They released a couple albums and gained a nice fan-base during the early 70s, John also being part of the group Silver. Over the past 30 years he has been busy singing as well as songwriting for artists such as America and Kim Carnes. You will even hear John singing background vocals for a variety of artists like The Jefferson Starship, Motley Crue, David Lee Roth, and James Lee Stanley.
He has released a CD with James Lee Stanley titled "All Wood And Stones" which is an acoustic focused album featuring Rolling Stones songs. The most recent release is "Home Again" which is John's latest solo work. The songs are absolutely fantastic, and I highly recommend giving the album a good listen.
You can read a lot more about John at his website. The website is very informative, so be sure to check it out. You can listen to and buy albums and dvds at the site.
The Official Website of John Batdorf
Visit John Batdorf at Myspace
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added 6/30/07
Yup, listen to the Stones samples at Acoustic Guitars and Rolling Stones Songs and tracks from John's new album at John Batdorf.
Last time I saw Batdorf perform, a month ago, he told us how he was inspired by Stephen Stills' great guitar playing. Then, John proceeded to work out on his Martin and bring me right back there, into that pocket, when acoustic music ruled. If you were a fan of that Stephen Stills debut, check out "Can't Be Trusted".
But, the most meaningful song is "I Don't Always Win".
Remember those late night teenager and early twentysomething years, when you had more questions than answers, and you stayed up long after dark, with only your records to console you, keep you company? "I Don't Always Win" sounds EXACTLY LIKE THOSE MOMENTS!
There's a feeling that oldsters, aged baby boomers, can't recapture the greatness of their youth. I think Batdorf is now BETTER! Sure, he got some airplay with Mark Rodney thirty years ago, and toured, but he never broke through to big time fame, he can't survive on his royalties. He's lived inside his head, he hasn't been worried about dealing with groupies at Kitson, but rather feeding his family. So, the passion, the desire, IS STILL THERE!
I didn't listen to Batdorf's album the first time he sent it to me. I mean in today's Net world, how much can you experience, how much can you check out? But, after seeing him live, I INSISTED he send me another. I WANTED to hear it, the way you bought the album of the opening act you experienced in the triple header at Fillmore East.
And for those who were fans the first time, be sure to listen to "Home Again" on MySpace, a remake of a tune from Batdorf & Rodney's second album.
This is the song that won me over. I went to see Batdorf and Stanley for the Stones tunes. I wasn't eager to hear unfamiliar new stuff. But when John started strumming that Martin, when he got lost in the music, when the audience no longer mattered, when it was about the power of music to transform both the player AS WELL as the listener, that's when I got hooked.
... "Solitude" (is) ... my other favorite on his album. It sounds like one of those Stills songs off a Crosby, Stills & Nash album, like "4+20", or "Helplessly Hoping".If you were ever lonely, if you ever thought the world was unjust, if you ever listened to a record to get you through the night, you'll get this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added 6/28/07
from Trots Allt, Sweden
John Batdorf
Home Again
(BatMac/Hemifrån)
John Batdorf from seventies duo Batdorf & Rodney and soft/rock band Silver (does anybody remember them?) is back with a CD in the genre he handles so well: Acoustic American pop (yankie americana). He has even invited old collegue Mark Rodney and it turns out to be a happy reunion. Fresh and beautiful. Where the guitar lines wrap around your knees and stretch for the ground as the vocal harmonies rise to the sky.
http://www.trotsallt.se/musik/sundell/natrecensioner_07.htm
eartaste - flavorful bits of ear candy worth seeking out
Thursday, June 14, 2007
John Batdorf - Home Again
The guitars whirl my head into a fine, wonderful, wine-like frenzy for close to a minute before the voice comes in and welcomes the morning with a happiness usual reserved for very rare moments with a friend. "Opened up – the daylight found me sitting underneath an oak tree, clearing up what once was cloudy." Each time I hear this tune I smile inside while dancing outside. Batdorf has an uncanny vocal method of simply sounding lovingly optomistic while acoustic guitars play in a technique one usually reserves for rock and roll. "All my life I've been waiting for this day! I am home again!" Shoutout for several compositions deliciously served up with different spices, Can't Be Trusted and Something Is Slipping Away. John Batdorf
Added 6/24/07
from Otakt in Sweden
Artist: John Batdorf
Title: Home Again
Label: BatMac music 2006 (Hemifrån)
Rating: 8
Now, John Batdorf is back, this time trying to revive the early seventies' singer/ songwriter tradition as carried out by names such as Seals & Crofts, Loggins & Messina, America, Crosby, Stills & Nash and, not to mention his own genre explorations with legendary Batdorf & Rodney. And sure enough, against all odds, he's succeding. At least, this nostalgia trick is working on me.
Pickingly groovy guitars and beautiful harmony vocals and a voice that is kind without being sappy and lyrics about love, loneliness and "home, sweet home". Quite conservative, both lyrically and musically. But it's so darn well-arranged and well-played and as well, this music keeps ouching my constantly underlying hippie nerve.
An emotional string that simply can't resist the sound and absolutely not the tenth and final track on the album, "Where Are You Now", which give shivers, vibrating with summerwinds in a cab, speeding down Ventura Highway, passing Hotel California somewhere in the night!
- Peter Linde / Otakt - http://www.otakt.se/2007/john_batdorf_ho
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added 21 June 2007
From All Music Guide
| Review | by Joe Viglione |
Though an essential songwriter/singer behind the scenes in the music and film industry, John Batdorf deserves equal time on the radio and Home Again provides solid evidence for that argument. A reunion of sorts with 70's partner Mark Rodney, the title track is a re-make of a Batdorf tune from their second release as a duo, 1972's eponymous Batdorf & Rodney release. As with Ian Hunter, Buzzy Linhart, the group Epitaph and a notable list of other veteran artists, the music they are generating in the new millennium is in many ways superior to their previous efforts, and better than what radio and what's left of the industry is attempting to force on the masses. Mark Rodney writes the liner notes here inside this elegant package with over a dozen photo images of the players and he mentions the sound of Crosby, Stills & Nash. Yes, the title track could fit nicely into that trio's repertoire, though John Batdorf takes this disc through his own personal journey. "Me and You" is one of seven co-writes with Michael McLean and it would be a nugget on any Paul McCartney album. Vocally sounding like a cross between John Anderson from Yes and Seals & Croft (both of them; and yes, Batdorf & Rodney have been compared to that duo in the past), John Batdorf generates a striking album with help from his colleagues, a master craftsman delivering the goods without resting on past laurels or going through the motions. Though there is nothing ground-breaking here, that isn't the objective; it is refreshing to hear an artist do what he does best and do it without concern for Top 40 airplay or commercial success, though this album is oh so very radio friendly. Drifting through folk/pop and the blues of "Solitude" Batdorf communicates his ideas superbly, backing vocals cascading in a spacious production that is minimal yet still big. "I Don't Always Win" evokes that minstrel in the gallery feel Ian Anderson spoke of, the voices matching the guitar sounds with amazing effect. The ten titles clock in at under forty-five minutes but it is great playing and well considered production that makes this a very special project. The final track, "Where Are You Now?, is an old Batdorf & Rodney number which previously only showed up on their Live At McCabes release. Perhaps collaborations with Jonathan Richman and other quirky originals could take this music to an even different path and audience in the future but for right now the sounds on Home Again is warm, eloquent and very enjoyable. | |
Added 29 April 2007
Posted Wednesday, April 25, 2007 11:29 AM PDT
Editions of the North County Times Serving San Diego and Riverside Counties
---- Jim Trageser, Staff Writer
A "Home Again"
John Batdorf
Self-released
Fans of the old duo will be delighted to see Mark Rodney on harmony vocals both on a revamped version of "Home Again," as well as on "Where Are You Now?," which has been available only on the "Live at McCabes" album. Both tracks stand among the very best the two have done together, and hearing them together again after 30 years is truly a treat.
Fans of Batdorf's more recent recordings will be glad to know that he's joined here by collaborators James Lee Stanley and Bill Batstone. Stanley, in particular, provides a ready foil to Batdorf's own guitar work. And Batdorf's two sons, Brett and Matt, provide some harmony vocals as well, adding a familial touch.
Batdorf's singing is better than ever, his songwriting as strong as always, the supporting cast outstanding.
Anyone who digs the acoustic singer-songwriter school of '70s folk rock is likely to enjoy the groove Batdorf and Co. have laid down here.
John Batdorf plays April 27 at Normal Heights United Methodist Church in San Diego.
---- JT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Added 23 April 2007
| POSTED BY: radioindy | POSTED ON: 23 Apr 2007 01:11 AM |
 "Home Again" by John Batdorf, is a very impressive acoustic adult rock CD. The CD is filled with impressive acoustic guitar work, which sounds really good on this recording. John's vocals are especially beautiful on this CD, and include rich harmonies on many tracks. The recording quality is crystal clear, which is especially effective on this acoustic, unplugged CD, and allows the lyrics to cut through nicely. The songwriting combines well thought-out and thought-provoking lyrics combined with memorable choruses. "Home Again," the title track, combines memorable acoustic guitar work and a memorable chorus, with a powerful lyrical message. "Me and You" includes clever lyrics and nice 2-part harmonies. "Something Is Slipping Away" is a remarkably beautiful song. The up-tempo "One Night Stands" is one of our favorite tracks, with it's hook-filled chorus. If you enjoy acoustic adult rock artists of the 60s and early 70s, such as Crosby, Stills, & Nash, you will enjoy this CD. Pick up a copy today!- Review by RadioIndy staff | |
Added 3 April 2007
BY DON THRASHER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
THE DAYTON DAILY NEWS (March 30, 2007)
Batdorf, who performs tonight at Canal Street Tavern, reached his commercial peak in the mid-'70s with acoustic duo Batdorf & Rodney, who released two LPs on Atlantic Records. Despite the ups and downs in his career, he never quit playing and recording. And as Batdorf proves on his new self-released LP, Home Again, at 55 he is still completely focused on creating music.
The album is packed with memorable gems such as Home Again, Solitude and Something is Slipping Away, which are sunny slices of West Coast folk with shimmering acoustic guitars, warm harmonies and Batdorf's rich, youthful tenor. "I thought it might be a really cool idea to try to recreate a retro-throwback record," Batdorf said recently. "I wanted the songs to sound like they were recorded in the late '60s or early '70s but were still modern by today's standards, kind of like a lost album. I wanted to kind of do the songs how I do them at the shows, which is a little different arrangement, a little more scaled down, kind of a house concert approach."
Home Again, recorded in Batdorf's home studio, is clearly his baby, but he received musical assistance from James Lee Stanley, Michael McLean, Greg Collier and other talented friends. The project also gave Batdorf the opportunity to work with his twin sons, Brett and Matt, who provided harmony vocals on several cuts. Mark Rodney, his old partner from the '70s, also added guitar and vocals to re-recordings of a few old songs, marking their first collaboration in 30 years.
Batdorf is promoting the CD to NPR affiliates and Internet radio stations, but his main focus is on XM satellite radio. "I was really trying to gear this project at XM because I thought they would be the immediate national airplay I could get," said Batdorf, who was pleasantly surprised at the positive response. "All of a sudden I had three songs on XM. I was thrilled. Now they're playing nine out of the 10 songs. It felt like mission accomplished, now I just have to try to keep spreading the word."
For more information: www.johnbatdorfmusic.com.
Contact contributing arts and music writer Don Thrasher at donaldthrasher8@aol.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
added 3/4/07
http://sacbee.com/122/story/131222.html
 | |||
 | |||
..>..>..>..>
 | |||||
| Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, March 4, 2007 | |||||
| CD review: John Batdorf, Home Again Batmac Music, 4 stars | |||||
| | |||||
| More than three decades after putting an end to Batdorf and Rodney, John Batdorf and Mark Rodney are singing together again -- and it's great. Just like old times. Except with a maturity of songwriting on Batdorf's part that imbues this set with warmth and depth. Batdorf refers to "Home Again" as "the Batdorf and Rodney album that was never made," which is sure to delight a bunch of old fans. It includes three songs from the duo's days together -- the title track, which is performed here in a version that's even better than the original; "Ain't It Like Home," which Batdorf performs as a solo; and "Where Are You Now," a duet that has never appeared on a studio album -- plus seven new songs. Those two "home" songs are a clue to a major theme of this set. It's about finding a place of safety and comfort. Other fine songs include "Solitude," "Me and You" and "One Night Stands," which is only about extramarital affairs in that it's about a performer's love of his music and the one-night concert stands on the road. This is a really fine collection. -------------------------------- |
Copyright © The Sacramento Bee
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
added 26 January 2007
Recent uploads by John Batdorf - reminders of the great music of ...
By RockAndRollDream
A few uploads worth hearing - Folk Rock artist John Batdorf, "Home Again" and even better is his song "I Don't Always Win "- haunting and profound lyrics worth sending to others to check out if you like the genre.
RockAndRollDream.com Blog - http://rockandrolldream.blogspot.com
John sings with great emotion and passion. The song I Don't Always Win rings with such caring intensity that I was completely taken away. John is a true artist in every sense of the word. Only thing better than the CD is seeing John live. -Phil St.Germain, Guitar Merchant
Midwest Record Recap
www.midwestrecord.com
www.myspace.com/midwestrecord
Article ran on Wednesday, 17 January 2007
BATMAC
JOHN BATDORF/Home Again: Funny thing about the music biz that never changes, you can have all the auspicious beginnings you want but the next step is to get hot or go home. 35 years after putting Batdorf & Rodney to rest after some of the most auspicious beginnings, Batdorf catches up with his roots and re-examines the cult band that faded away but didn't die. After moving on and successfully wearing other hats, a spate of reissues caused Batdorf and Rodney to come to light again and was the genesis of this set that brings old and new together. Even 35 years on, Batdorf is running with the heart of a kid and adds wisdom to the old songs while adding wonder to the new. A singer/songwriter with more on the ball than a lot of today's crop, this set is a welcome return home again. Whether an old or new fan, it's well worth checking out.
"John has just released a new CD called Home Again and he is one of those guys who is not just 'nostalgia good', he's still really good and currently creative. That takes some doing."
No comments:
Post a Comment