Having gone to high school with Mike Glabicki before he was the leader and vox for Rusted Root, I can tell you first hand that we always knew Mike would be well-known either as a musician or as an artist. 3 million albums sold worldwide since their formation in Pittsburgh by said singer/guitarist Glabicki in the early ‘90s, Rusted Root’s ‘world music’ has taken many dips, turns, peaks, and valleys. After debuting in 1992 with the self released ‘Cruel Sun’, Rusted Root signed with Mercury Records and released the 1994 platinum selling breakthrough When I Woke, which featured the hit songs Send Me On My Way, Ecstasy and Martyr. Not long after, the band scored on tours with Toad the Wet Sprocket, Santana, The Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, The Allman Brothers Band, HORDE Festival and, perhaps most notably, the highly coveted support role on the landmark Jimmy Page/Robert Plant reunion tour. Since then they have released ‘When I Woke’, ‘Remember’, ‘Rusted Root’, ‘Welcome to the Party’, and ‘Stereo Rodeo’ and on October 30, 2012 RR will release ‘The Movement’.
The newest release starts off with ‘Monkey Pants’ which is certainly a highlight. It’s fun, bright, upbeat and has that Talking Heads vibe that Root sometimes is reminiscent of. ‘Cover Me Up’ takes the listener into a more chill, world music beat, with those tinges of early Rusted Root that Rootheads so love. ‘The Movement’ may be an even better example of the traditional RR sound and is an absolute standout track. ‘In Our Sun’ actually reminds this reviewer of some of The Doors experiments and it fits in very nicely with the wide range of the disc. ‘Up and All Around’ is funky with a less world music vibe, maybe even more of a classic rock n roll atmosphere to it.
Glabicki’s voice has versatility and originality and he manages to pull off many different voicing here. The entire band has moments to shine on ‘The Movement’ and Root truly stays loyal to form while also not churning out the same old stuff. It’s nice to see Mike and his bandmates still at it and producing such quality material. Highly recommended for loyal Rusted Root fans and ‘newbies’ alike.
Make sure you check out their well known dynamic live show at Palace Theater Greensburg 11/10/12 and Carnegie Music Hall 12/21/12