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).