Press
The Top 22, 6/13/10
Michael and Christy Kline are US 32, a duo that describes their music as two parts Americana/AAA, with a dash of country and folk roots rock. The debut album, Tumblin’ Home, has a very unique backstory: The title track is an homage to Michael’s great great uncle George F. Kline, who fought and died in the Civil War, at age 18. George’s battlefield letter has been passed down for generations. But there’s also a lot of musicianship on this debut, with a strong set of session players who have played alongside the likes of Madonna, Matchbox Twenty, Beck, The Mavericks, Shelby Lynne, The Wallflowers, The Band, and others. For more go to http://www.thetop22.com/3790.
Women of Substance Radio, 10/25/10
US 32 is husband and wife Christy and Michael Kline, an Americana/Bluegrass duo based in Maryland with a little country twang and a lot of heart. Christy has a voice that is both warm and feisty, drenched in Southern Comfort. For those who enjoy Lady Antebellum, Shelby Lynne, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Carrie Rodriguez, US 32 is another treat to add to the bag. Michael and Christy paint a compelling picture of rural American life in their well-crafted songs, rivaling the likes of John Mellencamp and The Dixie Chicks. And the attention to detail in the instrumentation on their album "Tumblin' Home" make it extra special, including top notch players on fiddle, banjo, mandolin, harmonica and tap and pedal steel guitar.
Benjamin C. Squires, Music Spectrum, 9/24/10
Like the Canadian roots group the Rankins, U.S. 32 (Michael Francis Kline and Christy Kline) moves at its best when it stays above the minimum speed limit. Bluesy country and twangy rock tunes rattle on down the highway with great originality whereas country ballads sound like, well, country ballads. That said, when Michael takes lead vocal for the title track, a ballad, there’s a rootsy freshness to the Appalachian tones. U.S. 32’s version of “Jackson” smolders on handclaps without ever igniting—a tremendous tension held beautifully throughout the track right to the abrupt ending.
Paul Kerr, Blabber'n'Smoke, 9/27/10
Winding up this roundup we have US 32, a husband and wife team who on Tumblin’ Home rollick through 13 songs that in turn are catchy (Mabel’s Car, Credit Cards), evocative (the title song, Hamer House) or plain beautiful (Under the Bridge). Named after an American highway Michael and Christy Kline take the listener on a tour of Americana with some excellent back up from accomplished players on fiddle, mandolin, lap steel and pedal steeel guitars. Mabel’s Car with Christy on vocals sounds like one of Kathleen Edwards’ poppier efforts while she nails a sweet country voice in Under The Bridge, a tearful lament of lost love caressed with pedal steel and fiddle backing.