*DON'T STEP ON THE GRASS

Dan Short · Casco Bay Weekly · week of December 17, 1999

On the earthy side of local music is the Coming Grass, led by singer Sara Cox and singer/songwriter Nate Schrock. Granted, a band that performs songs with titles such as "Evolution Detour" and "Sea of Imagination" won't be confused with Merle Haggard anytime soon. But on the group's upcoming self-titled CD, it does combine rock, country, folk and the singer-songwriter idiom into its own kind of roots-rock.

In 11 songs, the group's influences are synthesized into a style that focuses on melodic songs and the interplay between Cox and Schrock. The song "UFO" shows the Coming Grass is still capable of turning out a gritty rocker, but now it follows that up with the intimate, folk-influenced "Save Me Song" and the soulful ballad "No Harm."

Like most bands in this genre, the Coming Grass survives on the strength of its songs, which, throughout this CD, are consistently good, and, in the case of "Carry," truly great.