For those seeking an album to accompany those long, late-night drives,
Mind and Mother
--
Burd Early
's musical journey toward inner peace -- is a good choice. But his emotional destination isn't easily reached, as the sparsely played, beat-sturdy
"How Far"
mines thoughts like, "There's a silence happening underneath all the acting." Elsewhere, the worm food semi-
ballad
"Fertilizer Waiting to Happen"
dwells on the fate of all humans, as the disc's only real rocker
"Blackdot"
helps
Early
forget his woes en route to self-discovery. The tender title track finds him hoping to make things right with an estranged mom with the help of an appealing melody. Not so for the
country
/
electronica
fusion of
"Undoing the Day,"
which is just plain askew in execution. Still, for those spooky travels across empty stretches of dark highway,
is somehow a suitable fit. ~ John D. Luerssen