Jimmy Sturr seems to believe that polka is America's pan-roots music, capable of blending in with every other type of roots style. Bluegrass? No problem. He asks
Rhonda Vincent to do some singing on a couple of tracks, including (surprisingly) a version of
the Carpenters' song that gives the album its title and "Rocking Alone in an Old Rocking Chair." Then
Arlo Guthrie helps blend polka and folk, performing his hit "City of New Orleans" with the band. Things don't work as well on "This Land Is Your Land," which has far more oompah than swing, but a polka version of "Devil Went Down to Georgia," featuring some hot, swinging fiddle from
Frank Urbanovitch, is enough to get the hardest heart beating faster. Closing with "God Bless America" might be a patriotic gesture, but it's played relatively straight, when a twist might have been more pleasing.
Sturr continues to explore the possibilities of polka, but at times you have to wonder whether his all-things-to-all-people take on the music doesn't end up stretching it a bit too thin. ~ Chris Nickson