(Silber Records)
When Jamie Barnes appeared on this year's "Louisville Is for Lovers" compilation, some local music fans were surprised. The disc featured Valentine's Day-themed songs by many familiar local acts, but Barnes wasn't one of the better known. Many feel that he stole the show.
Turns out he already had one disc out, "The Fallen Acrobat." There's nothing new about his approach — the whispered, intimate, confessional sounds of Iron and Wine and Simon & Garfunkel, Elliott Smith and Nick Drake; it's the sound of a teenager placing a midnight phone call to the girl he likes, hoping not to get caught by a strict parent.
At times, Barnes purposely toughens up his sound by layering junkyard percussion, toy keyboards and Muppet banjo. The effect answers the previously unasked question, "What would John Denver have sounded like if he had followed Tom Waits' career path?" (I should probably clarify that, unlike some music critics, I like John Denver, though not as much as I like Tom Waits.)
Barnes is still finding his way; his experimental urges might be an attempt to cover self-consciousness about how pretty and dreamy his songs actually are. While such tendencies are to be commended, he might benefit from letting some songs go naked. Lyrically, he goes the easy way too often. An original lyric like "Pearly Gate & Son Pest Control" stands out in contrast to the pained metaphors found in "Snow Angel" and "Oil Rig."
Barnes is maintaining a prolific performance schedule locally while he works on his next record. Further experience and maturity can only deepen and expand on his lovely, necessary music.
