| Our Long Road Home | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 16, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Studio | The Loft (Saline, Michigan) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:26 | |||
| Label | Velvet Hammer | |||
| Producer | Tim Patalan | |||
| Taproot chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Our Long Road Home | ||||
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Our Long Road Home is the sixthstudio album by Americanalternative metal bandTaproot. It was released on September 16, 2008 and is Taproot's first independent release since 1999'sUpon Us.[1] The album was released through Velvet Hammer, the label founded by the eponymous management company that has worked with bands such asSystem of a Down,Deftones, andAlice in Chains.[2] It is the band's first collaboration with producer Tim Patalan, after working withToby Wright on their two previous studio releases.
The album'slead single would be "Wherever I Stand", although "You're Not Home Tonight" has received radio play as well. The titleOur Long Road Home suits the band's roots in theAnn Arbor area in which it was recorded. The track "It's Natural" includes a female vocalist (Kristin von B), which is a first for the band. "Stethoscope" and "Hand That Holds True" are the album's Teaser #1 clips that Taproot released onYouTube; these were followed by "Path Less Taken."
The album debuted at number 65 on theBillboard 200, with first week sales of 7,700. It was the final album to feature original drummer Jarrod Montague, whose departure was announced a week after the album's release. Montague would rejoin the band in 2023.
"Budget cuts and political shifts," according to Taproot vocalistStephen Richards, cost them their label support withAtlantic. This led the band to "try doing something different" and releaseOur Long Road Home independently. The album was recorded at The Loft, a barn converted into a recording studio inSaline, Michigan.[2] Richards, living 10 minutes away from the studio, considered this convenient due to various band members now having families and wanting to stay close to them. He noted "For the first time, instead of being thousands of miles away and being forced to be creative, we were at home, inspired by the things we know and love." Guitarist Mike DeWolf wrote one of the songs and Richards played drums during the recording process.[3]Our Long Road Home was originally scheduled for release on August 5 but was pushed back due to mixing problems and the addition of two "heavier" songs.
The band has since noted the mixed fan reception toward the progressive sound ofOur Long Road Home. In March 2010, when discussing the band's upcomingPlead the Fifth, guitarist Mike DeWolf stated:
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [5] |
| Seattle Post-Intelligencer | (mixed)[6] |
Tim Grierson fromAbout.com called the album "a consistently tuneful collection", praising the different styles of 90s rock the band adopts for songs that contain autobiographical lyrics about their experience with the music industry that Grierson considered as being "compelling stuff." He concluded that "[A]s its title suggests,Our Long Road Home captures a band that once was lost but is now finding its way at last."[5] A writer for theSeattle Post-Intelligencer felt the record was scattershot with the track listing going back and forth between "melodic hard rock the band made its bones on and something more akin to boring, sappy Christian rock." It concludes with: "There are a few strong moments, to be sure ("The Path Less Taken," "Take It" and "You're Not Home Tonight"), but most of the songs offer more of the same old riffs and post-grunge sentiments of failed relationships."[6] Mark Keresman ofAllMusic noted how the band took "a more melodic, radio-friendly approach" to their sound while retaining their unique genre style, concluding that "Fans of Taproot's earlier discs may be a little confused, butOur Long Road Home finds them heading towards an identity all their own."[7]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Path Less Taken" | 3:55 |
| 2. | "Wherever I Stand" | 3:23 |
| 3. | "Be the 1" | 3:21 |
| 4. | "Hand That Holds True" | 3:41 |
| 5. | "Take It" | 3:12 |
| 6. | "It's Natural" (feat. Kristin von B) | 3:39 |
| 7. | "As One" | 3:50 |
| 8. | "You're Not Home Tonight" | 2:57 |
| 9. | "Stethoscope" | 1:43 |
| 10. | "Run To" | 3:40 |
| 11. | "Karmaway" | 4:09 |
| 12. | "Footprints" | 3:51 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "These Walls" (iTunes release) | 2:45 |
| 2. | "Wake Up" (Amazon release) | 3:59 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Wherever I Stand" | Mainstream Rock Tracks[8] | #34 |
