Oh wow, it's the song from Matilda. I voted for the band/album recognizing Rusted Root, not even thinking that it would be the one and the same album. Does this band have more work? I didn't even bother checking.
"Send Me on My Way" is one of those earworms that can stick with you for years. I thought Matilda was just great; thanks Danny DeVito, et al. Even back then I thought of this song as a strange little artifact. Like, it was definitely pop music, but also had a lot of other unique stuff going on. Heavy percussion with foreign influences, an increasingly fast tempo, lead singer wailing and vocalizing. A memorable chorus line. I'd totally forget the tune in my teens, it being the sort of song that gets soundtrack play but no radio play. But then I'd hear it again, repeatedly, during my 20s as an extremely frequent "name that tune" question during bar quizzos until I eventually knew the artist and song title by heart.
That whole lead in is to say I can't believe there are another ~54 more minutes of this sound here. Wowza. Root does their best when leaning into fast tempos, syncopation, and their, uh, "worldbeats," like with "Send Me on My Way," "Martyr," or even "Cat Turned Blue" with more bluegrassy elements. Where it works less well is in slower bits, such as the dull "Beautiful People" or interminable "Cruel Sun." I only have so much patience for Mr. Root doing his wailing Root thing. Plus, the album is almost an hour long? By the time you get to "Lost in a Crowd," it's basically "Send Me on My Way" again.
I'm being somewhat harsh at the end there, that lead single is enough for me to give Rusty a pass. Really, after hanging with this album a week, it feels more like a world-sound-infused jam band album. A DMB for those with who prefer hand drums and even more vocal scatting.
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