Train, Uncle Kracker  

November 8, 2009

Sunday 7:00pm

Detail:

Train settled in San Francisco to develop their sound in a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere. In an unlikely scenario, executives from Columbia Records expressed an interest and, in a somewhat cooperative strategy, farmed the fledgling band out to the minors -- in this instance, Aware Records -- where they could grow naturally and unhurriedly. In 1997, they went on tour, opening for the likes of Blues Traveler, Barenaked Ladies, and Counting Crows. Drops of Jupiter followed three years later, becoming a platinum hit on the back of its single of the same name. My Private Nation followed in 2003. A holdover live album appeared in 2004 while the band returned to the studio to record My Private Nation's follow-up. The single "Cab" announced the band's return in late 2005, followed by the Top Ten full-length For Me It's You early the next year and Save Me San Francisco in 2009. Roxanne Blanford, All Music Guide

Produced by Kid Rock and Mike Bradford, Double Wide was a radio-friendly effort that blended elements of country, mainstream modern rock, and rap. One year after its release, Uncle Kracker returned with a sophomore album named No Stranger to Shame, scoring another Top 10 hit with a faithful rendition of Mentor Williams' "Drift Away." Taking much from the inspiration of early-'70s rock, he issued Seventy Two & Sunny in late June 2004, but the album failed to live up to its predecessors' success. Kracker renewed his hit-making credentials by co-writing Kid Rock's popular single "All Summer Long," however, and he returned to the solo game in 2009 with Happy Hour. MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide