Badnews Travels Fast
Gulf Coast, 2024
8/10
Listen to Badnews Travels Fast
The Nashville blues singer Chris BadNews Barnes brings along some of Music City’s finest for these 11 tunes that are full of humor and timelessness.
The title track starts the listen with Kenny Greenberg’s swift guitar and Jimmy Hall’s spirited harmonica complementing Barnes’ rugged yet tuneful vocals, and it isn’t long until the intimate mood of “A Bluesman Can’t Cry” makes great use of Tom Hambridge’s skilled drums and Tommy MacDonald’s agile bass for the slow burning power.
Moving into the middle, the frisky energy of “The Juice Ain’t Worth The Squeeze” showcases Steve Patrick’s animated trumpet and Tabitha Fair’s soulful backing vocals, while “His Majesty The Baby” is rich with soaring guitar and a gritty rhythm section that illuminates the bright singing and fluid blues rock.
Arriving near the end, the rugged “Ambushed By The Blues” carries a component of beauty, too, where Mike Rojas keys add much to the mood, and “Mushrooms Make Me A Fun Guy” exits with a clever and fun tune that’s rhythmic, memorable and clever.
This is Barnes’ 5th album but his first on the Gulf Coast label, where he certainly fits right in with today’s finest in the area of blues rock.
Travels well with: Mike Zito- Life Is Hard; Albert Castiglia- Wild And Free