Pete Feenstra chatted to T Bear for his feature show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio and featuring tracks from the new album ‘The Way Of The World’.  First broadcast 19 May 2024.

Quarto Valley Records [Release date 22.03.24]

‘Way of the World’ is an aptly titled album by T Bear – the artist formerly known as Richard T. Bear – a singer - songwriter whose own durable songcraft glues together an eloquent set of original songs, shot through with sumptuous grooves, salient melodies and real poise.

Some might call it old school, especially given the retro feel that permeates the album’s sonic textures. But that would be to overlook the simple fact that after a 3 decade absence from the music business he’s tapped into the contemporary roots-rock market, as evidenced by a lofty chart position in The Netherlands.

Put simply, ‘Way of the World’ is a thoughtful roots album, written during lockdown and brought to life organically, via a series of home recordings at various guests respective locations.

The result is a slightly lo-fi approach to lyrical substance and subtle playing, which always serves the song and helps tease out the contours of some great songs and chunky hooks.

Bear’s own vocal style is never too far removed from both Dr. John and Leon Russell, as his southern drawl and intuitive piano work gives the music a lived in feel.

It’s all there on the lilting funky title track, on which his gentle humorous lyrics are underpinned by a tight rhythm section and are given real heft by guitarist Laurence Juber’s use of contrasting tremolo accompaniment and a short piercing solo.

The fact that drummer Tony Braunagel is also Bear’s co-producer helps bring a consistent lightness of touch to the proceedings.

As an example, Braunagel switches to deft brush strokes on the close-to- the-mic ‘Jewell’, a truly outstanding track with a luscious piano line, an evocative late night vocal and a whispered hook that lodges firmly in the brain.

It’s an object lesson in less is more, with the focus solely on his breathy vocals, while the band beautifully supports a wonderful song.

There’s also plenty of contrast and dynamics in the album sequencing. ‘Signed on the Dotted Line’ for example, has an uplifting quality with girly bv’s and a sinewy guitar line from Juber, while ‘Walter Mitty’s Glasses’ slips into an unexpected reggae groove, mirroring Bear’s 1984 ‘Manhattan Reggae’ release.

He approaches the album with broad canvas in mind, with the intention of matching his inventive lyrics with a requisite musical accompaniment, as on the Bo Diddley beat of ‘A Change Will Do Me Good’, and the quasi Latino groove and humorous hook of ‘Your Husband’s Got A Gun’.

The latter finds the other co-producer Laurence Juber on rough-hewn slide and sculpted wah wah, which provides the perfect foil for Bear’s percussive piano style.

He also brings a softer focus to the material with 3 acoustic contributions, including the melodic ‘This Bird Has Flown’, which in spite of The Beatles title is more of an ethereal track. It’s anchored by Braunagel’s percussive snap and an aching pedal steel riff, which is nicely topped by a beautiful horn arrangement.

Then there’s ‘Breathe’ a lockdown “bearrapy“ (aka therapy) song which has already seen the light of day on Walter Trout’s Broken’ album.

Bear’s own version garners extra presence via his weathered vocal, measured piano lines and a faux string arrangement.

And if ‘Breathe’ will doubtless resonate with plenty of folks, ‘Dinner For One’ is a one of his best story telling songs.

It’s a lovely blend of Latino rhythms, drifting piano and mid-70’s Dylan phrasing. There’s also a tinge of Randy Newman style irony to go with the filmic imagery, all topped by a lovely acoustic break, a belated tempo change and a cha cha finish!

He gets more funky on ‘They Can Kill You’, complete with bv’s and horn stabs in a Steely Dan vein.

The great thing about this album is the way everything flows seamlessly. The band provides Bear with the perfect support, as they really get inside the songs to let the melodies flow and the hooks bubble to the surface.

The composite interplay is a mirror image of Bear’s thoughtfully woven lyrics. There’s never a wasted note, while he’s rigorous in both his story telling abilities and arrangements.

He rounds things off with the fittingly titled ‘True Romance’, which reflects his own romantic persona on an album that subtly slips between the autobiographical and real life influenced fiction.

He’s a wry story teller who offers a sting in the tail on a bonus track called ‘Red Harvest’, which is an all too real observation about The Ukraine on a heartfelt duet with label mate Paul Rodgers.

It’s lyrically strong song with a sonorous violin line, and while it curiously lacks the same musical impact as the rest of an impressive album, it still serves to provide a moving footnote to 13 tracks that are never anything less than meaningful and personal. ****

Review by Pete Feenstra

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Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)

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