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By the time Bobby Bare arrived at Columbia in the late 70s, he had a long string of hits behind him, crossing back and forth from country to folk to pop. Luckily, his maturity didn't cramp his spirit of adventure. From rowdy live recordings of Shel Silverstein's "Numbers" and "Tequila Sheila" to his duet with Roseanne Cash on Rodney Crowell's "No Memories Hangin' Round," Bare lent considerable charm to these tales of losers, winos, prostitutes and overgrown good ol' boys.A pre-Kenny Rogers version of "The Gambler" and a half-spoken, half-sung reading of Guy Clark's "Let Him Roll" are good examples of Bare's storytelling ability. His delivery is hypnotic, fleshing out the characters as he lures the listener in. It's a talent learned in front of live audiences, and rarely reproduced in a recording studio.Pop culture may tend to revere newness and youth, but Bare proves that the patina of experience can be the more valuable quality. |
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