One by One is an album by the American band Agents of Good Roots, released in 1998.[2][3] It was the band's first album for a major label.[4]

The album's first single was "Smiling Up the Frown".[5] "Come On" peaked at No. 37 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.[6]

One by One sold around 30,000 copies.[7] The band supported it by touring with the Dave Matthews Band, and by playing the 1998 H.O.R.D.E. Festival.[8][9]

Production

The album was produced by Paul Fox.[10] It was recorded at A&M Studios, in Los Angeles; the band brought in outside musicians to help flesh out its sound.[11][12]

The raspiness of singer Andrew Winn's voice was the result of a skiing accident that crushed his larynx.[13]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[14]
The Indianapolis Star	[15]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[1]

The Washington Post thought that "sauntering pop-funk tracks like 'Upspin' don't sound like pale pretenders, while the neopsychedelic rock of 'Come On' is more gutsy than trippy."[16] The Gazette opined that "like fellow Virginians and neo-hippies The Dave Matthews Band, Agents of Good Roots put a raspy voice to an intricate rock/jazz backdrop, but their debut album, One By One, is peppier and rougher than the music of their statemates."[17]

The Telegram & Gazette determined that "despite stylistic twists and turns, Agents of Good Roots offers consistently solid songwriting."[18] The Indianapolis Star concluded that the "mix of modern rock, punk, pop, soul, jazz and country is almost mind-boggling."[15] The Philadelphia Inquirer stated that the band "trades in numbingly ordinary, undisciplined noodling."[19]

AllMusic wrote that Agents of Good Roots "can write sturdy hooks, and there's an appealing party groove to the album that makes it a winning major-label debut."[14] The Windsor Star listed One by One as the fourth best album of 1998, writing that it "combines the pop smarts of an R.E.M. with the adventurous spirit of a Steely Dan or Traffic."[20]

Track listing

References