On
Gone to Heaven, guitarist and vocalist Jacob Fleischli regrouped
the Tractor Kings in order to record at Matt Talbott's Great Western Record Recorders Studio in Tolono, IL, a town where Fleischli's ancestors settled after immigrating to the U.S. from Ireland in the 1880s. The energy Fleischli took from recording there resulted in a complex and bittersweet collection of stripped-down folk songs on
Gone to Heaven, the group's second disc on Mud Records. The title track kicks things off with a feverish harmonica, a slew of guitars, and Fleischli's undeniable
Bob Dylan-influenced lyrics and performance. The barrage of lyrics on "Side By Side" is then followed by the gloomy air of "Take Me Back" and "Buried in the Sky." The serenade of poetry on "Beautiful Night" brings the disc to its halfway point, while the pace picks up on the poignant "My Little Cousin." An acoustic cover of A.P. Carter's "Little Moses" is next, and is followed by the ambitiously optimistic "Never Lonely." The sadness and splendor of "Goodnight" then gives way to the final track, the ambiguous and multi-layered "My Old Ways Are Gone." Despite often covering heavy-hearted themes, Fleischli was able to create a well-balanced and philosophical album with
Gone to Heaven. This time around,
the Tractor Kings included bassist Matt Filippo, drummer
Angie Heaton, and guitarist Steve Ucherek. Talbott appears on guitar, vocals, and tambourine, while R.M. Racky plays pedal steel guitar and Lyle Hodges provides the synthesizer. Mud Records released the disc in summer 2003. ~ Stephen Cramer