Uncle Earl’s Waterloo, Tennessee, issued just yesterday on Rounder, confirms this all-female roots-music quartet’s excellence in traditional idioms: Check out the lovely shape-note singing in “Buonaparte.” But the group can also claim serious range: That song segues directly into “Bony on the Isle of St. Helena,” delivered with something of Suzanne Vega’s clear-eyed cool. Elsewhere, “My Epitaph” packs Maria McKee’s smolder. Throw in a giddy “Streak o’ Lean, Streak o’ Fat” and a Cajun spin on Bob Dylan’s “Wallflower,” and you’ve got a contender for roots disc of the year. - Steve Smith

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Christian Science Monitor
March 16, 2007
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0316/p13s02-almp.html

Uncle Earl – Waterloo, Tennessee (Rounder): Before bluegrass, there was stringband music, where groups of musicians gathered to play for themselves and family, or headed off to back up the caller at a weekend dance. In recent years, it's come back big-time at folk clubs and through such movies as "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "Cold Mountain." One of the best developments here is all-women bands, and one of the best of those – or any new stringband – is Uncle Earl (above). On their second album, the "g'Earls" put their own wonderful spin on classics by Ola Belle Reed and A.P. Carter as well as newer material by Bob Dylan and themselves. My favorite is the traditional "My Little Carpenter." As band member Rayna Gellert says, "It's one of those rare old-time songs where nothing awful happens." Grade: A

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New York Post
March 13, 2007
Uncle Earl
"Waterloo, Tennessee"

On their sophomore disc, this all-girl string band makes some of the most compelling bluegrass that's ever left Tennessee. The fiddles, banjos and mandolin blend flawlessly, and the harmonies are superb. Helping out the girls on production this time is former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. To hear Uncle Earl, download their song "D&P Blues" at nypost.com's MPFree. (Out today)
http://www.nypost.com/seven/03132007/entertainment/music/hip_hot_music_dan_aquilante.htm?page=0

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The Montreal Gazette
March 22
****1/2
UNCLE EARL
Waterloo, Tennessee
Rounder/Universal

All-female quartet Uncle Earl took the old-time country music world by storm with their excellent Rounder debut, She Waits For Night, in 2005. The big surprise on this follow-up is seeing Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones listed as producer. But put aside any worries over the g'earls going metal. This mix of traditional tunes, songs from the Carter Family, Ola Belle Reed, Bob Dylan and some in-the-tradition originals, is even better than the last album. Their instrumental ensemble sound blends beautifully and each player stands out just when they need to without ever being overly flashy. All four are also fine singers and they harmonize like sisters. Uncle Earl shows just how vital and hip old-time country music can be in the post-modern musical world. ****1/2 -Mike Regenstreif

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Chicago Reader
UNCLE EARL

On their forthcoming second album, Waterloo, Tennessee (Rounder), all-female string band UNCLE EARL deftly juggle a variety of American rural-music forms while tossing aside common preconceptions about each. They bring sweetness to old-timey classics, gnawing intensity to singer-songwriter fare, restraint to bluegrass, and soul to contemporary folk tunes. A number of guest musicians step in to help flesh out the group's sharp, driving arrangements--including Gillian Welch on drums and John Paul Jones, the album's producer, on bass and piano--but the album hinges on the precise interplay of the core members' acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and banjo. And though all four take turns singing lead, the moments when they harmonize are the real draw.