The Pine Hill Haints: Ghost Dance

The Pine Hill Haints are

nothing if not authentic. The rural-Alabama-based group plays roots music with

a genuineness lacking in similar outfits who aren't immersed in it. Unfairly

labeled alt-country, their sound has always been far looser and wider in scope

than the tag implies. It grows even more loose and wide on Ghost Dance, a 20-track behemoth that eventually turns into a

tedious genre exercise. Tracked live with Calvin Johnson and Lynn Bridges at

the helm, Ghost Dance features

both old folk songs and others written the day of recording. It's as stripped

down and basic as albums come—perfect for the style the Haints embrace

here—except in its length. Cut in half, Ghost Dance would be an enjoyable, though potentially indistinct,

record. As is, it long overstays its welcome.