REVIEW: Bare Jr., Boo-Tay (Epic/Immortal)
- Jon Steltenpohl
When people think of Nashville music, they usually assume that you're talking straight ahead country music a la George Jones. Bobby Bare, Jr., son of the semi-famous country singer, has recently emerged with his twisted vision of how music really should be. The result is a band called simply "Bare Jr." and a debut album entitled Boo-Tay (as in, shake that...). Where most of Nashville seems to be just fine with making light rock with twang, Bare Jr. sounds a little country and a lot punk.
And they do it right. Like relative unknowns such as Killbilly and Slobberbone, Bare Jr.'s takes classic country, injects a little humor back in it, and puts it in the garage. While Wilco and Son Volt seem content to look back with a quiet gaze on the backroads of the heartland, Bare Jr. tears it up at the roadhouse bar. With titles like "Tobacco Spit" and "I Hate Myself", you don't have to worry about things getting too serious here despite some heavy lyrics. Bobby Bare, Jr. and his father are friends with Shel Silverstein (writer of "A Boy Named Sue") which should tell you something about this album. The guitarist's nickname is "Grimey", and the band's featured instrument is a distorted dulcimer played by one Tracy Hackney.
The nice thing about Bare Jr. is that they never sound like they're trying to be goofy as a gimmick. This is genuine music that's just slightly twisted. Imagine Green Day and the Georgia Satellites sharing the same stage, and you'll start to get the picture. Their producer, Peter Collins, has such diverse credits as Queensryche, Indigo Girls, Suicidal Tendencies, and Jewel, and at times you hear everything from Faith No More to Lynyrd Skynyrd floating around Boo-Tay.
Songs like "Tobacco Spit" and "Give Nothing Away" are melancholy rockers that recall Buffalo Tom. On "You Blew Me Off", Bare Jr. finds the energy of free spirited pop-punk of bands like the The Offspring. The shout out chorus trades "You blew me off" with the revelation that "It turned me on!". Both the acoustic and electric Dylan are represented with "Soggy Daisy" and "Naked Albino" respectively, and the album closes with "Why Won't You Love Me". It's a crazy, frantic romp filled with delicious anguished screams and even a completely unnecessary drum solo thrown in for good measure.
It's easy to see exactly why a group like Bare Jr. got signed to a major label like Epic. They're quirky, have a great pop sense, and they rock. The best song on the album is a track called "Love-less". It's got crunching guitars, a sing-along chorus, a mournful harmonica, and a country flavored double meaning on the title. Despite the potential pitfalls of their country pedigree, Bare Jr. ditches any cliches at the door and seems satisfied with just delivering great music. Boo-Tay is a fun album that deserves to be played loud.
