The Pine Hill Haints are
nothing if not authentic. The rural-Alabama-based group plays roots music with
a genuineness lacking in similar outfits who aren't immersed in it. Unfairly
labeled alt-country, their sound has always been far looser and wider in scope
than the tag implies. It grows even more loose and wide on Ghost Dance, a 20-track behemoth that eventually turns into a
tedious genre exercise. Tracked live with Calvin Johnson and Lynn Bridges at
the helm, Ghost Dance features
both old folk songs and others written the day of recording. It's as stripped
down and basic as albums come—perfect for the style the Haints embrace
here—except in its length. Cut in half, Ghost Dance would be an enjoyable, though potentially indistinct,
record. As is, it long overstays its welcome.