South Broadway Athletic Club: The Reviews Keep Rolling In!

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Since the mid-1990s, Bottle Rockets bard Brian Henneman and his shifting ensemble of compadres (drummer Mark Ortmann is a constant) have been crafting heartland epics within a rock ‘n’ roll framework, that spill beer and stir the heart on impact. – Ann Powers, NPR Music
 
For two decades, the Bottle Rockets have been the best rock band no one has heard. The St. Louis group, still led by bard Brian Henneman, has flown under the radar while chronicling the struggles and joys of blue-collar America. This 11th album is slighter than the group’s finest records yet there are enough emotionally true narratives here brimming with soul and bruised wisdom. – Boston Globe
 
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – Pop Dose
 
Utterly familiar yet amazingly fresh on every album, Brian Henneman and company have made loose-jointed, empathetic roots-rock for more than two decades. – Mother Jones
 
Singer-guitarist Brian Henneman and his St. Louis crew are in fine form on their first studio disc since 2009… Count me in. – Sun Media
 
Few bands are better at evoking the large pleasures of small things than the Bottle Rockets. Their latest album “South Broadway Athletic Club” (Bloodshot Records) has 11 paeans to the little things that make life worth living. – News & Observer
 
Alt-country vet Brian Henneman is one of those guys who likes writing songs too much to quit. – Noisey/Expert Witness, Robert Christgau
 
The album finds the Rockets making rock and roll that’s as vital as ever… a no-frills, straightforward jab in the chest that packs one hell of a punch. – Glide Magazine
 
The Bottle Rockets are back and the world is a better place for it! – Rocking Magpie
 
The 11 new tracks will delight fans of leader Brian Henneman’s rapier wit, which speaks to everyday people with sarcasm, cynicism, and poignant, poetic prose. The Bottle Rockets sound remains classic, raw plugged in electric guitars and dynamic real drums, with a couple acoustic numbers added in for spice. – Innocent Words
 
The Bottle Rockets’ tenth studio album, 2015’s South Broadway Athletic Club, not only attests that Henneman’s lyrical voice rings as true as ever, it’s an excellent example of Grown Up Rock & Roll, unforced but passionate country-influenced rock that both musically and lyrically speaks of a richly lived life and the challenges of making one’s way in a world filled with both victories and defeats. – All Music
 
I’ve probably listened to “South Broadway Athletic Club” a couple of dozen times and keep putting it on again. There’s no higher praise I can give to a record. Grade: A+ – Lincoln Journal Star
 
A jubilant, rowdy collection of guitar-fueled rock and wry observations on the modern day trials and tribulations of average folks. Which is to say, it’s yet another beautifully written postcard from the Americana edges, in a 20-plus career full of ‘em. – Buffalo News
 
A lot of bands have staying power despite the fact that they never have a song that breaks through to commercial radio. The Bottle Rockets is one of those bands. – Examiner 
 
This is all top-notch stuff, and it’s good to know the Bottle Rockets are still cranking it out. – Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
 
The Bottle Rockets have remained true to their roots, their environment and ultimately their fans by consistently producing great songs without all the vagaries of whatever passes for cool at the moment. – Ink 19
 
The band’s 12th release is just as engaging as any of its previous outings. – Winnipeg Free Press
 
Musically, the album continues in the Neil Young-turned-cowpunk sound that fans of Drive-By Truckers or 20th century Wilco know so well. – Playback StL