Hailing from the music scene of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Barry Muir embarked on a journey that led him to become a force in Canadian rock history. From chart-topping success with the Payola$ to Juno accolades with Barney Bentall and the Legendary Hearts, his musical odyssey continues with the critically acclaimed sounds of The Blue Shadows and a solo career marked by creativity, culminating in the soulful exploration of “Bakersfield,” his tenth studio album. Keep reading for my thoughts!
“Bakersfield” opens with “Show Me The Way”, a gentle, laid-back track with inklings of pop, country and folk rock blended in. The electric guitars play excellently well with the vocals as Barry articulates his voice clearly, and makes use of harmony layers to add further depth to his music. With endearing lyrics and solid execution, this song sets the stage for the rest of “Bakersfield” quite well. Segueing into the second track, “Worn Down To Nothing”, this immediately has a more of a country twang to it– but the fundamentals laid down in the first track continue to exist and evolve rather well here. There is also much to appreciate about the lead guitars here which chime in at just the right places, driving the song with their crunch and drive.
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Some other special mentions on “Bakersfield” include “Heart Of Stone”, with its sparser instrumentation and more intimate, vulnerable sound laid atop a three-quarter beat, which gives it a very relaxing, balladlike feel. Further is the title track of the album, “Bakersfield”, which brings back the pizzazz with the lead guitars, and is uptempo and energetic in its outlook. The halfway point of this album is marked by “Waiting for the Sun to Rise”, which slows things down to a gentle breeze, while still allowing Barry’s voice to shine through both in the lead and in the harmonies, which find themselves standing out on this track. The album calls it wraps with “Time Keeps Going On”, which finds a lot of animation in the acoustic guitars, and makes for the perfect end to “Bakersfield” with its animatedness and life.
The production on this album, is, without a doubt, great– with warm and inviting sound design, especially with the acoustic guitars and the vocal choir layers– while the basses play their part with live articulation that stands out, especially in the quieter parts of the album. The warmth of the acoustic guitars is yet another standout point, and elevates this album rather nicely. There is also much to appreciate about the mix and master, which remains consistently clear and powerful throughout “Bakersfield” through its various dynamic changes.
All in all, Barry Muir on “Bakersfield”: A pleasure to listen to! Check out the album here:
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