VINTAGE GUITAR April 2008
Roth's "Hot Licks" instructional series has helped many a player. But he's criminally overlooked to the general public. Toolin' Around Woodstock puts him in the limelight with wonderful songs that exhibit his mastery.
Most of the songs are familiar and his guests are as tasteful as his playing. Levon Helm, fresh from his recovery from throat cancer, sings soulfully on cuts like "Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Cryin' Time." He also drums on more than half the cuts. Twangbanger Bill Kirchen joins in on a picture-perfect version of the Joe South classic "Games People Play," and the very twangy country-rock of "Gas Station Frustration." The dueling slide guitars of "Tumblin'" pair Arlen with Sonny Landreth in an orgy of smolderingly quiet slide and fiery riffs.
While most of the cuts feature vocals from Helm, Roth, Roth's daughter, Lexie, or Levon's daughter, Amy, a couple of instrumentals allow Arlen to cut loose. Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man" gets the full treatment, with Arlen displaying his vast arsenal of chops. And just when you thought another version of "Sleepwalk" had reached the point of saturation, Roth's slightly country feel gives it a breath of fresh air.
A bonus DVD (included in the Special Edition) lets you in on the making of the record, with behind the scenes rehearsal footage; watching the fellas listen to a playback of "Matchbox" proves they enjoyed it as much as you will. - Jon Heidt
EVANSTON REVIEW 2/19/2008
Guitar afficionado Roth kicks it with the Band's Levon Helm, Helm's daughter and Ollabelle singer Amy Helm and Louisiana slide guitar master Sonny Landreth, among others on this workmanlike but nonetheless engaging slab of gritty, greasy guitar rock. Roth takes runs at standards including Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen," Carl Perkins' "Matchbox" and, as an instrumental, Bob Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man," and while he many not erase the originals from listeners' memories, his work is none too shaby, either. - Jeff Wisser
PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS 2/19/2008
Singer/drummer Levon Helm, winner of the Grammy for best traditional folk album, is the special featured attraction on guitarist Arlen Roth's "Toolin' Around Woodstock." Sounds more like they've stopped into the local tappy for a Monday night jam session, as they're working over bar band faves like "Sweet Little Sixteen," "Cryin' Time" and "Ballad of a Thin Man" in ragged, righteous fashion. Bill Kirchen and Sonny Landreth are also along for the ride, and a bonus DVD offers a tour of the legendary little music town. - Jonathan Takiff
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER 2/17/2008
...Toolin' Around Woodstock is a wide-ranging joyride through American roots music, but, for all the six-string expertise on hand, it is as much about deep feeling as virtuoso technique, about putting a fresh, heartfelt spin on mostly familiar material.
Helm applies his once-again-robust vocals to Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen" and Buck Owens' "Cryin' Time"; Kirchen joins Roth on guitar and vocals for Joe South's "Games People Play" and shares some rock-and-roll fireworks with him on Roth's "Gas Station Frustration"; daughters Lexie Roth and Amy Helm duet on the pop-soul classic "Just One Look"; and Landreth engages Roth in a slide duel on the latter's "Tumblin'," one of several tour de force instrumentals that include "Sleepwalk" and "Unchained Melody." - Nick Cristiano
MODERN GUITARS 2/9/2008
Toolin' Around Woodstock by guitarist Arlen Roth and special guest Levon Helm, also featuring Sonny Landreth, Bill Kirchen and others, is a fine collection of contemporary American roots songs and two originals. Celebrated guitar teacher and originator of the "Hot Licks" videos, the "Master of the Telecaster" doesn't release CDs all that often, so those familiar with his incredible talent and vast knowledge of the instrument know it to be a delightful and long-awaited event. Though the album's vocals are basically split between Roth, Helm, and Kirchen, daughters Lexie Roth and Amy Helm add nice touches to some of the tunes, in both a lead and background capacity. A wonderful supplement to the CD is the added DVD (included in the Special Editon) of takes from the session process, recorded at Levon Helm's studio in Woodstock, New York.
Included are three Chuck Berry numbers, the first being the album's icebreaker, "Sweet Little Sixteen." Surrounded in sizzling six-string licks and driving rhythms, Helm beats out the Berry lyric in memorable vocal resonance. The perfectly executed classic hit is an ideal start to the rest of the album, as its variety in voice and instrumentation is an affable example of the amalgamation of originality and the classic, a pleasant quality most of the album possesses. The other two Berry covers, "Don't Lie To Me" and "Deep Feeling," are superb choices and excellent guitar-oriented songs as well. Excuding the classic opener of course, it's nice to hear Chuck Berry covers that haven't been as overexposed through the years as some of the others, performed in dissimilar styles that enhance the overall diversity of the album. "Don't Lie To Me" possesses an amazing Keith Richards air to it, not only in style, but in the Arlen Roth vocal as well. It rocks steadily and vibrantly along, and is awach with brisk guitar licks and chops. "Deep Feeling," featuring Roth and Landreth on slide guitar, is an excellent instrumental choice because of its slide guitar attribute. As good as the whole record is, one can't help wishing that these two brilliant players would record a whole album together. Another to substantiate that opinion is the the Roth original, "Tumblin'," in which both players get down and dirty in a "train is a coming" mode. They're amazingly in sync and in each other's mind throughout. It's totally magical.
Though "Sleepwalk" is a beautifully executed instrumental, Dylan's "Ballad Of A Thin Man" as well, "Unchained Melody" is the exemplary Arlen Roth instrumental on this one. Purely a magical display of the Roth Telecaster technique, complete with volume manipulation, note bends, and soaring melody, it wouldn't suprise me one bit to discover that both Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton were smiling down as this one was recorded. In addition, Lexie Roth's faint background vocal at the song'e end is hauntingly beautiful. "Gas Station Frustration" is a Roth original highlighting both Arlen and Bill Kirchen. The enthusiastic, rocked-up number is included in the Special Edition DVD as well, and is certainly worth the view.
The Special Edition DVD presents Roth, Helm, and the others conversing and performing in a laidback and informal atmosphere. It includes footage of the musicians working and figuring out sections of the material in both and interesting and entertaining manner. Close-ups of Sonny Landreth playing slide on his Strat, Arlen doing an individual take with his signature flamed Warren guitar, moments of gratification while relaxing and listening to a finished recording of "Matchbox" are just some of the footage included. As the inner booklet reads, it's a DVD and CD of music with a "let's sit around microphone and roll the machine" informality. The takes of Buck Owens "Cryin' Time" near the end fo the DVD sheds an ethereal ambiance, transporting the listener back to a different era.
Toolin' Around Woodstock is resplendent with skilled musicianship and memorable songs. Basically a comprehensive and outstanding CD on its own, the DVD is the icing on the cake for those interested in viewing what went down in the studio. - Brian Holland
UNCUT February 2008
Roth, self styled guitarist's guitarist who's swerved from session-and-tour stalwart (Paul Simon, John Prine) to progenitor of the Hot Licks instruction series over his 35-year career, turns in an all-too-rare, relaxed session of pure groove. Roth and gang (including guitar aces Sonny Landreth and Bill Kirchen) chug through a snarling rooadhouse take on Chuck Berry's "Don't Lie To Me," turn Joe South's "Games People Play" into a jangly Band-like epic, and unspool a velvety "Sleepwalk". Roth's best guitar turns are saved for "Unchained Melody" and Dylan's "Ballad Of A Thin Man," both given sweeping, majestic arrangements. - Luke Torn
WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL 2/14/2008
The average music fan has no idea that Arlen Roth is one of the world's most revered guitarists, a picker that big-gun guitarists listen to with awe. Roth has rarely stepped into the spotlight, preferring to work in relative anonymity as a sideman. So it's nice to hear Toolin' Around Woodstock, a solo album that pairs Roth with such musicians as singer/drummer Levon Helm, slide-guitar wizard Sonny Landreth and twangler Bill Kirchen (Comander Cody).
At first glance, the song selection, loaded with overdone oldies - "Sweet Little Sixteen," "Matchbox," "Night Life" - seems tediously obvious. Happily, the combination of great pickers and singers adds freshness. For sheer jaw-dropping guitar power, check out "Sleepwalk," "Unchianed Melody" and Bob Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man," in which Roth finds casually eloquent high ground between the late Danny Gatton and Jeff Beck without sounding tricked out.
This likeable album is a guitarist's dream that's also earthy enough for all to enjoy. - Ed Bumgardner
MARIN COUNTY PACIFIC SUN 1/25/2008
Telecaster master Arlen Roth, a string-bending sideman with Paul Simon and others, sounds like a swampy version of Jeff Beck as he accompanies Levon Helm, Sonny Landreth, Bill Kirchen, Lexie Roth and Amy Helm. This rootsy homage to his youth features 14 classic tracks and finds Roth amping up Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man" and wringing tears from the '50s instrumental "Sleepwalk." The special edition includes a companion DVD.