Cross Canadian Ragweed Music Albums

'Happiness and All the Other Things'

Release Date 8/31/2009

Tracks 15

Label Universal South

What The Critics Say

Stillwater, OK's Cross Canadian Ragweed have been quietly carving out the kind of solid foundation that most bands dream about since their arrival in the crowded alternative country scene in the late '90s. The well-worn equation of relentless touring and recording has yielded the group a ravenous fan base, as well as an impressive amount of record sales for an act that barely rises to the tip of the pop culture tongue. For their seventh full-length album, Cross Canadian Ragweed tread familiar yet firm ground, crafting earthy, sepia-toned road songs like "51 Pieces," "Bluebonnets," and "Pretty Lady" that are as good, if not better, than anything they've released in the past. It's a well-traveled highway, and the ghosts of the acts that came before them -- like the Eagles, Marshall Tucker Band, Neil Young, and Gram Parsons -- are always in the rear-view mirror, but Happiness and All the Other Things ultimately keeps its eyes on the horizon. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide

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'Mission California'

Release Date 10/2/2007

Tracks 13

Label Universal South

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What The Critics Say

While some critics seem to have fun playing the "name that genre" game with Cross Canadian Ragweed's music (is it country? alt-country? arena rock?), on Mission California, their fourth studio album for Universal South, the Oklahoma foursome make it clear that, the Drive-By Truckers notwithstanding, they may be the last great Southern rock band still stomping the boards. What makes Cross Canadian Ragweed noble inheritors of the great Southern rock tradition is their clear belief in the Boogie; it's hardly the only thing they can do, but the rollicking clatter of the opener, "Record Exec," has a swagger few bands could conjure these days, and the litany of good and bad ideas "I Believe You," the edgy road story "Walls to Climb," and the fourth-gear celebration of excess "Smoke Another" capture a head-bobbing groove that would have sounded just fine in a packed arena in the mid-'70s (and for this sort of stuff, that's a compliment). It's enough to make you wish that the band had kicked out a few more jams of this caliber on Mission California; while most of the songs here are fine indeed, Cross Canadian Ragweed ease back on the rock more often than is good for them, and though the high-attitude "Dead Man," the homage to one great waitress "Soul Agent," and the backhanded celebration of their home state "In Oklahoma" are good enough that you don't mind the lower impact, the best rockers are good enough that you miss the big beat while it takes a break. Still, Cross Canadian Ragweed still write 'em and play 'em like heroes on Mission California, and folks who dig big rock and big twang will like this just fine. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide

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'Back to Tulsa: Live and Loud at Cain's Ballroom'

Release Date 10/31/2006

Tracks 24

Label Universal South

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'Garage'

Release Date 10/4/2005

Tracks 14

Label Universal South

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What The Critics Say

Oklahoma roots rock quartet Cross Canadian Ragweed's streamlined blend of alternative country and gritty rock & roll aims to appeal to both cowboy and trucker hats, something few bands besides the Kings of Leon have pulled off with any success. On their fifth studio album (their third for Universal South), the band pays homage to everything from cigarettes and Wild Turkey to heartache and late Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell without a hint of pretense, relying on spot-on guitar licks, an airtight rhythm section, and the kind of impeccable production that only a major label can procure. Lead-off track "Fightin' For" sounds like a classic rock radio staple waiting to happen, replete with a riff straight out of pre-American Fool John Cougar-land. It's a great litmus test for first-time listeners, as the rest of Garage follows its lead with a combination of tight, melodic boot-stompers and wistful, mid-tempo laments that always maintain a willful sense blend of humble authority and mischief -- the latter is dutifully represented on the sly closer, "Bad Habit." Fans who were enamored with last year's Soul Gravy will find little to complain about here, while those looking to join the party will know from the very first note whether or not they want to stay and get wasted. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide

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'Soul Gravy'

Release Date 3/9/2004

Tracks 13

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What The Critics Say

Cross Canadian Ragweed doesn't need to take a lot of risks on Soul Gravy, keeping their stellar rep as a crack touring/bar band in mind and sticking close to their Southern rock and Texas singer/songwriter influences. Mike McClure is a sure hand behind the board -- Cody Canada's engaging regular guy delivery is never lacquered in studio syrup, and his electric guitar leads always crackle with life. The understated sonics of "Lonely Girl" are of a piece with "Sick and Tired," which features Lee Ann Womack on harmony vocals; both songs just seem like a loud band turning down its amps and switching over to the clean channel for a minute. Naturally, "Hammer Down" is that loud band, driven forward by a care-to-the-wind story line and some ripping guitar work, as is the bottle-smashing racket of "Wanna Rock & Roll," which CCR (?) wants you to know was written by Ray Wylie Hubbard. The little acoustic gem "Flowers" serves as a sort of set break, but it also features one of Canada's best couplets in the line "You bring me up/I bring you down/I bring you flowers/It brings you around." Other standouts include the dobro-flecked honky tonk of "Down," as well as a new, more powerfully recorded version of "Alabama," which unapologetically crosses Southern rock sensibilities with crunchy arena rock chording. Soul Gravy isn't much for pacing, but the songwriting and playing is uniformly solid, whether the boys are pulling at your heart strings ("Pay") or riffing on Texas' musical traditions ("Cold Hearted Woman"; the blues-tinged "Too Far Gone"). Overall it's a fun ride, both for longtime fans and the new ones Universal South's promotional push should make them. [Initial helpings of Gravy included a raucous DVD of a concert in College Station, TX.] ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide

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'Cross Canadian Ragweed'

Release Date 9/10/2002

Tracks 12

Label Universal

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What The Critics Say

Some time ago, much of what used to be called folk-rock/singer/songwriter and light pop/rock music retreated to Nashville and Austin and started to be considered as vaguely country in style. If Cross Canadian Ragweed's major-label debut album is to be taken as an example, what used to be thought of as mainstream or classic rock is doing much the same thing. The Oklahoma-based rock quartet, who issued four low-budget albums independently, is here working for a new Nashville entity called Universal South, an imprint of the Universal Music Group run by Tony Brown, who brought such mavericks as Lyle Lovett and Steve Earle to Universal's MCA Records when he was there, and Tim DuBois, formerly of Arista Nashville and a proponent of Texas songwriters like Robert Earl Keen. In Cross Canadian Ragweed, they have found what is essentially a Southern rock bar band led by a good singer/songwriter/guitarist, Cody Canada, who probably has at least as many Bruce Springsteen records in his collection as those of the Marshall Tucker Band and Waylon Jennings. Road veterans, the musicians have a tight ensemble sound that showcases Canada's twangy lead guitar playing, his light baritone (which is often reminiscent of Earle's, though not quite as nasal and accented), and his thoughtful songwriting. Unsurprisingly, as a lyricist, Canada is concerned with that constant young man's struggle, breaking free of society's constraints, but he has a good eye for detail and an ear for a telling phrase: "You're always 17 in your hometown," if a bit overused in leadoff single "17," is an excellent way of putting the challenge of small-town living. Still, what impresses most is the overall sound of a band who has forged a distinctive style within a conventional genre through years of playing. This certainly doesn't sound like anybody's first album. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide