Cincinnati CityBeat : 11/29/2006 : Short Takes

Bobby Bare Jr.'s Young Criminals Starvation League-- The Longest Meow (Bloodshot)

Bobby Bare Jr.'s Young Criminal's Starvation League - The Longest Meow

"Eleven songs recorded in one 11-hour session including members of My Morning Jacket" is the quick and dirty headline for this one. But the irrepressible Bobby Bare Jr. is the blinding-bright, life-giving sun/son in this super-session of Alt-Rock stars and satellites. Like his pops, Bobby Jr. is a master of clever phrasing and ironic love songs. But that's pretty much where the similarities end. His previous efforts have swung from blistering Hard Rock to acoustic Country, and The Longest Meow encompasses both but quite a lot more. Surrounding himself with a motley mélange, BBJ's loose grip on this reckless one-off party-in-the-studio yields results of unprecedented Pop grandeur. Whether emulating Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass tripping in a haunted toy factory ("Sticky Chemical") or channeling Paul Westerberg through vaudeville ("Demon Valley"), Bobby Jr. -- beery fearless, weirdly warm and fuzzy fire-brand -- divides his drunken devotion between trumpets and strumpets. (RH) Grade: A

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Previously in Short Takes

Short Takes Willie Nelson -- Songbird (Lost Highway) Edited By Mike Breen (November 15, 2006)
Short Takes Frank Zappa -- Trance Fusion (Zappa) Edited By Mike Breen (November 15, 2006)
Short Takes Johnny Cash -- Johnny Cash at San Quentin (Columbia/Legacy) Edited By Mike Breen (November 15, 2006)
more...

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