Published on Apr 8, 2000
Commending Drew Barrett for his cojones is an easy way to begin
this review. The music business is unforgiving these days, and it’s
not enough just to have a tight band and an angle. Now it involves
assembly: you’re part of a broad marketing message that spans
print, internet, radio, and television media. You have branding.
Then there’s the endless quest to generate more revenue. The
pinnacle of this process is product like 98 Degrees, and they’re
the purest: distilled through layers of dance classes, photo
shoots, image consulting, public relations, and mall performances.
If you think those crackers have anything to do with writing,
arranging, or producing their music your b.s. detector severely
needs repair. You probably think Disney is cool. Drew Barrett does
not buy this.
Barrett’s latest release,
The Strolling Minstrel, is deceptively titled. There’s no
quaint music on his disc – it’s well thought out and built around
big melodies and swooning guitars that tend to work within the
song, rather than rend the tune with aggression or angst. I like
this approach, it works for the “big sound” he gets on tracks like
“Soldier Song” (my favorite on the disc) and “Visitors from
Saturn’s Moon.”
Excellent production dominates this disc, and really shows
Barrett’s studio acumen – particularly the swirling drive of “City
Of Sin” – and I like his do it yourself kiss off to the
cliché Generation X sound that is so friggin’ prevalent on
current rock releases. He’s not giving in to that weird commercial
cookie-cutter vibe that pervades the industry right now. There’s
definitely something defiant in his songs. Some of which may be a
little disturbing, like the bonus track “Billy-Bob”, a song about
Bill Clinton I could have done without. Not that I disagree;
indeed, I think any rip on our trifling president is a good and
well-placed rip. It’s just so damn out of place, even within the
eclectic playing field of
The Strolling Minstrel.
Not to repeat myself, but this is a “big” album. Massive vocal
harmonies, huge drums, and lush guitars produce a surprisingly
unified sounding album. There are many sweet acoustic breakdowns as
well. By far the most notable aspect of Barrett’s record is his
voice. Much like Geddy Lee of Rush, you’ll either love or hate it.
I’m not a fan of the delivery, but that’s personal preference.
There are a lot of people waiting for a singer like Barrett to come
along. My guess is he listened to a lot of Queensryche, because
that’s the sound he captures in his catchy choruses. I’m more a fan
of the Bon Scott leer; however, Barrett can also do a little Zappa
– as on “Is There Somewhere Else We Go” – and that will always win
me over. So, to sum up for the types who need comparisons to what
Barrett’s vocals sound like, here you go:
Queensryche
David Bowie (in places)
Crash Test Dummies
Zappa (in places)
Good? Good. Along those lines, his lyrics are fine by me…the
words are the last thing I listen to anyway. First the shit has to
rock, then I’ll see if there’s some deep meaning within.
Fortunately for Barrett, there’s no absurd attempt to preach (you
know, none of that Fiona Apple crap). Did Elvis ever have deep
meaning? C’mon.
Far more importantly, Barrett knows how to find, maintain, and
finish off the inherent “heartbeat” – or soul – of his tracks. He
never loses focus on that thing that magically propels great songs
along. This is surprising in a self-produced environment where it
is easy to lose sight of the goal. His album flows, and it’s worth
a listen (if your into that “flow” thing).
Now, I have a serious point of dissention. Lose the song
“Lovers.” Not only would it fit nicely on
Monster Ballads alongside Ozzy and Lita Ford’s duet “Close
My Eyes Forever”, but just the the fact “Lovers” is a duet with his
sister really wigs me out! Okay, it’s not that big a deal, but the
song really does stand out as an eyesore on an otherwise crafty
album.
Barrett does have a message – I haven’t completely figured it
out, but it’s definitely not PC – and that’s not going to fly in
this age of spin, relevance, and homo-agitprop. This is a good
thing. To this end, while he won’t become an east or west coast
draw for elitist college students, Barrett has a large audience
waiting for him in flyover land. I hope he reaches his people –
there’s a lot blood and sweat apparent in this independent release,
and I have nothing but respect for that.
Barrett’s on the web at
www.drewbarrett.com.