Barton Carroll Reviewed
Barton Carroll
Love & War
(Skybucket)
Crooked Fingers accomplice Barton Carroll breaks out on his own, ranging from 18th century folk to parched-soul piano balladry.
Say this for Eric Bachmann: he surrounded himself with musicians as broken as himself. Love & War creeks along in a concise struggle against personal demons, utilizing as little adornment as possible to get its feeling across. When Carroll is most naked is he at his heartbreaking best, recalling Richard Buckner’s abandoned woodsman (“The Way Back To Her”) or intoning Reconstructionist/shape-singing melodies on the traditional “Look Up, Look Down, That Lonesome Road.” His pop instincts aren’t as keen, though. “Cat On A Bench” and “Vulture” come off as add-ons to the battered end of Love’s career, while a brave cover of “The Dark End Of The Street” adds an interesting counterpoint to versions by James Carr or Percy Sledge, but ultimately withers in comparison. Downhome is his realm — perfectly illustrated by the grand “Small Thing,” based on a book co-written by his mother — where he’s free to haunt and add to a tradition he so keenly interprets.
— Steve Forstneger
Click here to download “Small Thing.”
