Gambit - October - 2002

Motorway's name fits its career path of late. The New Orleans rockers have been doing some hardscrabble touring with Better Then Ezra and Cowboy Mouth, and it shows in the airtight grooves of their new self titled sophomore CD, the most impressive local rock album of the year to date. With production assistance from Ezra's Tom Drummond, and Ethan Allen (who's worked with Throwing Muses and Tricky, among others), Motorway sounds like a stellar major label effort, with waves of shimmering guitar and haunting echo effects on vocalist Pete Winkler's vocals making tracks like "Peace of Mind" sound like vintage R.E.M. and the Replacements. The band's got a knack for melodic guitar parts and insistent hooks, and an earnestness that's refreshing in today's rage-and-sarcasm-dominated rock world.And even if the band's catchy three-minute songs are generally throwbacks to '60's-era Kinks, Motorway's heartfelt original songwriting and arranging show they aren't trading on nostalgia. Gambit, October 2002.-Jordan