Snockgrass

AMG Review of Snockgrass

Steven McDonald
All Music Guide

A truly delightful singer-songwriter mix-up from the Vermont-based Hurley, a man who has one of those cheerfully lived-in faces. The cover painting tends to get puzzled and startled reactions for its surreal landscape filled with naked folks and instrument-playing wolves, but that's just the package. Hurley's songwriting tends to switch from the serious to the satirical at the drop of a hat (sometimes in the middle of a song), which can result in unexpected laughter -- he's a fine man with a witty line. The musical is congenial, no worries there. Hurley is the sort of artist who leaves listeners regretting that he doesn't record more. The 1997 reissue comes with an additional cut.