Danny Barnes – Dirt On The Angel

Danny Barnes defied all sorts of categorical strictures as the frontman for the Bad Livers, but it was plain there were musical dimensions within the maverick banjoist that might require a more expansive lineup to explore. While he’s always been more of a team player than a prima donna, here he’s assembled an all-star team for his latest solo album. Supporting and pushing the acoustic iconoclast are veteran virtuosos such as pianist Chuck Leavell, guitarist Bill Frisell (a kindred-spirit collaborator since Barnes left Austin for the Pacific Northwest), violinist Darol Anger and Appalachian multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell.

Their interplay leaves Barnes plenty of room to stretch, which he does on material that ranges from the deadpan drollery of “Life In The Country” (“ain’t like in the movies”) and “Bluegrass Suicide” to the tender balladry of the title track to the jazzy interplay with Leavell (his signature style so familiar from his years with the Rolling Stones and the Allman Brothers) on “Water Wagon”.

With his singing throughout more supple than ever, Barnes typically throws a couple of curveballs on his cover choices: a sprightly “Ooh La La” in tribute to the late Ronnie Lane (who co-wrote it when he was in the Faces and whose Austin version of Slim Chance included and inspired Barnes) and a bass-grooved, banjo-laced, psychedelic-tinged version of Beck’s “Loser”. Yet nothing he plays smacks of novelty, gimmick or willful eclecticism; instead, the selection provides the measure of a voracious musical appetite and a large soul.