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Cover Art Vic Chesnutt
About to Choke
[Capitol]
Rating: 8.5

As alternarock kids broaden their musical horizons beyond Offspring and Silverchair (this, by the way, is actually not happening -- just a dream of mine), more and more people are beginning to realize the less accessible but considerably more talented songwriters of the world are really out there.

Last year's Sweet Relief II benefit album recognized the amazing Mr. Vic Chesnutt, and the massive amount of publicity he received as a result only spread the word further.

About To Choke is similar to Chesnutt's previous records in that its country-roots depth and honesty is staggering. Chesnutt's unmistakable vocals are comforting and warm. It's just further proof that there's still genius in simple music.

-Ryan Schreiber

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RATING KEY
10.0: Indispensable, classic
9.5-9.9: Spectacular
9.0-9.4: Amazing
8.5-8.9: Exceptional; will likely rank among writer's top ten albums of the year
8.0-8.4: Very good
7.5-7.9: Above average; enjoyable
7.0-7.4: Not brilliant, but nice enough
6.0-6.9: Has its moments, but isn't strong
5.0-5.9: Mediocre; not good, but not awful
4.0-4.9: Just below average; bad outweighs good by just a little bit
3.0-3.9: Definitely below average, but a few redeeming qualities
2.0-2.9: Heard worse, but still pretty bad
1.0-1.9: Awful; not a single pleasant track
0.0-0.9: Breaks new ground for terrible
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