The Jayhawks: Mark Olson (vocals, 6- & 12-string guitars, harmonica); Gary Louris (vocals, guitar); Marc Perlman (acoustic & electric basses); Thad Spencer (drums). Additional personnel: Jim Rondinelli (vocals); Dan Gaarder (guitar); Charlie Pine (organ); Norm Rogers (drums). Producers: Jim Rondinelli, Tom Herbers, The Jayhawks. Personnel: Mark Olson (vocals, guitar, 12-string guitar, harmonica); Gary Louris (vocals, guitar); Jim Rondinelli (vocals); Dan Gaarder (guitar); Charlie Pine (organ); Marc Perlman (acoustic bass, electric bass); Norm Rogers, Thad Spencer (drums). Audio Mixer: Jim Rondinelli. Recording information: Control Sound; Creation; Johnny Audio; Lakesity Recording; Paisley park. Photographer: Dan Carrigan. Even amid the rash of alt-country bands that cropped up in the mid-to-late '90s, it's not easy to lose sight of the Jayhawks; the Minneapolis quartet has been making honest, superbly crafted, country-tinged roots rock since the late '80s. On BLUE EARTH, the follow-up to the band's debut, frontmen/singers/guitarists/songwriters Gary Louris and Mark Olson burrow even deeper into the tradition of "Cosmic American Music" pioneered by Gram Parsons and SWEETHEART OF THE RODEO-era Byrds. The record draws on various traditional sources, from the country-fried melodicism of "Dead End Angel," through the Neil Young-style balladry of "Ain't No End," to up-tempo hillbilly jags such as "The Baltimore Sun," yet never sounds stale or derivative. The magic created by Louris and Olson's guitar interplay and perfectly calibrated harmonies (note the gorgeous twang and lilt of album's opener, "Two Angels") charges these tracks with a clear, utterly unpretentious light. Though The Jayhawks would go on to refine their sound on later albums, BLUE EARTH is still a standout recording.
