The Moon Was Blue
Dualtone
When Bare slowly croons “Are you sincere?” during the opening bars of his first album in 22 years, he leaves no doubt as to his own sincerity. His slightly raspy but still intact baritone cuts clean through the low tremolo of an electric guitar that lays like a blanket over a strummed acoustic, before being joined by the tandem tinkling of piano and not-too-retro keyboard that culminate in a Roy-Orbison-esque chorus, complete with female backup singers and strings. And what’s that toward the end — a musical saw or maybe someone whistling?
And so it goes, each chestnut in this collection of songs Bare wanted to record but never got around to juxtaposed against the strange harmonies and weird space noises that are like rabbits pulled out of producers Bobby Bare Jr. and Mark Nevers‘ hats.
The ultimate verve comes not far into the album, with a cover of Harry Nilsson‘s cover of Fred Neil‘s “Everybody’s Talkin’.” Few artists could/should even attempt it, but this slowed-down version doesn’t disappoint.
For sheer exhilaratingly weird pleasure, however, the near-psychedelic effects on the vaudevillian “Shine On Harvest Moon” and the almost experimental noises on “Am I That Easy to Forget” can’t be beat.
Attention, Nashville: More albums like this, please!
Tracks
1. Are You Sincere
2. I Am An Island
3. Everybody’s Talkin’
4. Yesterday When I Was Young
5. Love Letters In The Sand
6. The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan
7. My Heart Cries For You
8. It’s All In The Game
9. Shine On Harvest Moon
10. Am I That Easy To Forget
11. Fellow Travelers
Total time: 36:15
External Links
artist’s link
amazon.com
iTunes Store
