DAVE BARNES"CHASING MISSISSIPPI"
(2006)
"Everybody But You"
I first became aware of Dave Barnes when the track "Everybody But You" appeared on a Paste Magazine sampler CD a few years back, but I ended up waiting nearly two years before finally picking up this album ... and I'm sorry I waited that long. The album's title notwithstanding, there's little doubt that Barnes hails from the American South, with most of the tracks slathered in blues and funky soul, like a pat of butter on a thick slice of cornbread.
When he's not kickin' out the southern R&B, he lays down an equally tasty '70s-throwback AM-radio groove on "Someday, Sarah" and "Stay Away" (in the latter of which he bears a striking vocal resemblance to Don Henley), crafts tender country balladry on "Jackson" (featuring an appearance by Vince Gill) and "I Have And Always Will" (with Amy Grant), and pounds out a contagiously joyous gospel jam on "All That Noise".
No wonder "Me + You + The World", Dave Barnes' major-label debut from earlier this year, left me so cold ... it's because this one was such a tough act to follow. Dave Barnes is a man of faith, but fortunately for me he keeps his music largely secular here (as does Matt Wertz, a friend of his who actually makes an appearance on this album as well). I'll have to do a little investigating to see if his debut album is worth getting, too....
