Like a methodical prosecutor laying his case before a jury, Mesopotamia Blues has a quiet, sure handed elegance. John Train and primary songwriter Jon Houlan uses the British rule of Mesopotamia as a parable for modern Imperialism and the sadness and destruction that accompany ambition. Along with originals the band mixes in selected songs and poems from such outside sources as John Stewart, Tom T Hall, Butch Hancock and Rudyard Kipling. using a professorial tone, avoiding histrionics, to elegantly lay out how the follies of the past are repeated when lessons are not learned. The weaved narrative of Mesopotamia Blues is compelling, sad, and, also hopeful. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (Chapter 7)
