I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

What happened? I'd just like to echo some of the concerns about this album in hopes that The Avett Brothers themselves read these reviews. I absolutely love this band. I have seen them many times and I own all of their records, they truly put on the best show I've ever seen, and that is the about only thing that can salvage this record. On the album the vocals are muted, in fact much of the instrumentation is. I've heard much of it live and it sounds much better than the studio stuff, so one problem is simply the studio recording. Overall though, I feel like I'm listening to any other studio produced pop-rock act. The country/bluegrassy twang is gone and the raw energy, and is now replaced with mellow piano and guitar filler to produce a sound akin to a bank lobby playlist. I hope that the fellas can take this as constructive criticism, I do understand that they take what they do very seriously, they don't simply pump out songs willy nilly, and they certainly don't settle. These are seriously thought out and labored over tracks, and I do appreciate that, I just hope that they can recapture some of what they have had on their past albums. (jasontait, 2010-03-02) Product reviewed: I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

Good...but.... The first time I heard the Avett Brothers was when a friend played The Weight of Lies on their car stereo and my heart almost stopped I was so absorbed in the song and the unique sound of the ABs. I and Love and You has some great songs on par with their past (Laundry Room, January Wedding, Ten Thousand Words...) and I respect musician's abilities to evolve and change their sound over time, BUT I am worried that the ABs are moving away from their more raw and sometimes sparse sound of the past which is what made them one of my favorite artists of all time. Some of the songs on this album are just too noisy (Slight Figure of Speech, Incomplete and Insecure,Head Full of Doubt) and they hide the skills of the singers, the banjo and the cello (I've seen them twice in concert and all are incredibly skilled). The banjo generally seems to be less of a frequent presence and the Cello has shifted from fiddle-like to a more classical or even pop sound. Their country roots are still present here and I truly hope they don't completely abandon them in the future. Basically, I find myself listening to their older albums more than this one so I hope when the next album drops it will harken more to the older style than in this new more pop/overproduced (Thanks for nothing Rick Reuben! Don't ruin my favorite musicians!) direction. And I almost forgot: The ABs are incredibly skilled at writing gorgeous and/or clever lyrics (Backwards with Time...Offering... come to mind). Another issue I have with this album, as compared to the past, is that it is harder to appreciate the song lyrics on this album in about half the songs. In summary, this is a good album, but I think with some different production it could have been an incredible album living up to the band's past excellence. I saw them live pre-I Love and You and post-I and Love and You and I could say the same thing for the live show which to me says they should take some lessons from the risks they took on this album to make something different and fantastic next time. (Huge Avett Fan, 2010-02-20) Product reviewed: I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

appreciate what is definately GOOT! although i will admit i prefer the more upbeat tone of Emotionalism, this is still a great album worth buying. In this cd The Avett Brothers have definately adapted to more of that classic folk style. Like always still filled with relatable and heartwarming lyrics. Less of that BG twang, but some people might prefer less banjo. In my opinion this is an album well handled by The Avett Brothers, I am glad i purchased the album to show my support for the band i've loved for years. It might take some time to get used to but for me it eventually became the follow up that i had hoped for :) (David So Fresh, 2010-02-15) Product reviewed: I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

I and Love and the Avett's! LOVE these guys! Their music speaks to the heart from the heart, and WOW - they put on a great show! (Avett Addict, 2010-02-12) Product reviewed: I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

WARNING: You will Love it. Disclosure: If you buy this album, you will enjoy it so much that you will be tempted to move to the North Carolina mountains and grow a beard. (Swampwaterwes, 2010-01-28) Product reviewed: I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

Substance, life and sincerity...what year is it????? In a year of album releases that were an incessant calvacade of unlistenable, insincere, pointless, layers of ambient puddles of washed-out tone studies, this band poured their hearts out and gave us a frisky smack on the a*s. This is music to bring one back from the ledge. I don't know how this could've happened in 2009 on this planet, but I weep with gratitude. (GratefulAlive, 2010-01-27) Product reviewed: I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

Cash Conway I can't believe I just hear about these guys about a month ago. Iv loved the bluegrass folk alt country stuff for a while. my buddy played january wedding the other and I just had the check out the rest of the record and I have to say I'm loving these guys. (noneya84, 2010-01-18) Product reviewed: I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

WHAT HAPPENED TO BLUEGRASS INSPIRED BY PUNK???? I'm not going to lie....it's a good album it has a few catchy tunes but seriously i miss the old avetts. I'm not saying they are sell outs but this is just not avett brothers. keep rockin avetts and bring back some more bluegrassy tunes!!! we love y'all!!!!! (kenneth powtro, 2010-01-14) Product reviewed: I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

Love the Album....however, I've been excited for the new album. Hearing them on the radio was really fun. But hearing the album I expected "I and love and you" to be one of maybe a few ballads...it's all ballads. I'm not knocking the album, it is beautifully put together. But if you're a long time Avett Bro fan, brace yourself. This doesn't have the energy and grit that I love them for. However, it's still a beautiful album. Avett Brothers, I'm with you on this journey, it's different, I'd love to keep hearing the old style, but I like what you've done. (cowalts, 2010-01-12) Product reviewed: I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

This Is Amazing I heard the song I And Love And You on the adult alternative channel and immediately went and bought the album. I liked it upon first listen, but this has become one of my all time favorite albums. Incredible songwriting - great melodies and meaningful lyrics that come from the heart. Stand out tracks are Incomplete and Insecure, Kick Drum Heart, Ten Thousand Words, Ill With Want, heck - there's not a bad song on this album. All of the songs are great and the album really comes together as a whole. It's so refreshing to find such a great album when so much of todays music is manufactured trash. I can't say enough good things about this album and have recommended it to everyone I know. (hoodjam, 2010-01-09) Product reviewed: I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers