Consumer Guide Album

Arlo Guthrie: Washington County [Warner Bros., 1970]
Basically, Running Down the Road was about what it said it was about. As such, it was a little scary, which I liked but Arlo apparently didn't, because now he's busy finding "a place to dwell" and learning about Jesus. Or, to turn his only joke on this record around, putting his foot in his mouth and telling it where he wants to go. The Woody cover exposes the dark underside of cattle drives, but mostly it's roots and fenceposts--in short, the good earth. Which may be why he sounds sodden. B−