CD Art: Randy Barnes – Self-Titled RB
These songs are primarily covers of well-known bluegrass by past artists of the genre & now performed by veteran Richmond, Kentucky bluegrass musician Randy Barnes.
The 12 sparkling tracks of the Self-Titled RB (Drops Sept 18/Mountain Fever Records/36:29) were recorded in Kentucky & produced by Randy (vocals/guitar/bass/harmony) & Danny Barnes (mandolin/harmony). The new exhibit starts off with a banjo-inflected “There Goes Another Piece of My Heart,” a Harry Carpenter “Junior” Sisk tune out of Virginia. A relatively young artist even today (61) in relation to many bluegrass purists. Sisk’s composition is rendered with lots of creative & rousing playing by the band Randy puts his trust in & they certainly deliver the goods.
The father of bluegrass is represented on “Can’t You Hear Me Calling,” a Bill Monroe piece (like “Blue Moon of Kentucky”) that’s put through the paces with pristine playing & Randy’s down-home, back porch vocals. It’s that quality that surrenders the authenticity of the genre that other professionals don’t seem to get. What’s also rich on this album is the storytelling behind the tunes. Whereas the blues is often a bit darker because of the low-down requirements to relate to the singer’s hardships, labor, women’s troubles & bad luck, bluegrass is country music with enthusiasm & a happier disposition. It isn’t as campy as early country songs.
An Earl Scruggs showpiece “I’ve Lost You” comes with a sprightly banjo, mandolin picking doused by fiddle breezes & bright acoustics. Randy & his backup singers are jubilant throughout. “All I have to live for now is dreams.” Nice lyric.
The one misstep of bluegrass, unless you’re Elvis Presley & you’re uninitiated, is that many tempos are fairly the same in these numbers. It may just be Randy’s comfort zone. You can’t slight the musicianship, & the effort shines, nonetheless. An understanding of this genre helps when interpreting where the music comes from. It doesn’t compromise its roots & is definitely different from C&W or straight modern country. This isn’t “hat” music, horses & beer tunes, or pick-up truck ballads. There’s a wider scope to the tales thematically.
I’m not up on the Merle Haggard or Waylon Jennings repertoires, but “There’s More Pretty Girls Than One” would’ve been ideal for their gritty voices. Randy does a fine job here. The mandolin-tight “No One Here To Love Me Now” is a sad tale but done creatively & sympathetically. A persuasive collection that can put a smile in your ears.
Highlights – “There Goes Another Piece of My Heart,” “Can’t You Hear Me Calling,” “Dark Hollow,” “I’ve Lost You,” “There’s More Pretty Girls Than One” & “No One Here To Love Me Now.”
Musicians – Chris Davis (mandolin/harmony vocals), Elmer Burchett, Dillon Abney, Gibson Davis & Randall Conn (banjos), Jeff Partin (dobro/harmony), Jason Barie & Kati Penn-Jenkins (fiddles), Scotty Fields (guitar) & Bobby Masters (harmony).
CD cover image courtesy of Rocky Northern. CD @ Discogs & https://mountainfever.com/