"Buddy", for me, was an aquired taste. The lack of drums or a strong backbeat on many of the tunes along with some rough vocals initially had me wondering what I had gotten myself in to. However......when I realized that this album is rough by design (intended to mirror the 1930's folk genre ala Woody Guthrie et al) and I developed an understanding of the story line and it's characters, I soon began to realize that this is a musical and political masterpiece.

I can't stop listening to it.

"Buddy" is chock full of great catchy folky tunes written in the spirit and style of the day. It boasts sensational guitar parts, wonderful sidemen, and pure craftsmanship. Ry wrote all but two of the tunes and interweaves them extremely well.

In an era where super slick production and recording techniques lead to recordings that are so perfect they defy the listener to find a even a miniscule glitch in them, this album may take a little adjusting to initially, but it's well worth it. Under that rough exterior lies a real musical gem.

Nice work Mr. Cooder.

tis album is the best one i her5d in my life but his new album is the greatest one i herd it is the shyt!!!

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~Mrz.Pl@y@Z~(WhO iz @ REALZ GOONZ!)