Provogue [Release date 27.10.14]
While there’s still a healthy roll call of artists who can look back on a 30 year recording career, few of them still retain the fire and range of Australia’s adopted Scotsman Jimmy Barnes.
‘Hindsight’ is full of little milestones, including various revisited career pit stops in a series of frisson busting duets with family and friends, of which the ripping funky stomp ‘Stand Up’ with his daughter Mahalia (and her band The Soul Mates) is the highlight.
Jimmy is a versatile and powerful vocalist reminiscent of Bon Scott and Frankie Miller, with a soulful edge that recalls John Fogerty. ‘Hindsight’ is produced by the familiar figure of Kevin Shirley whose AOR leanings provide the perfect context for Jimmy enduring tenor.
Significantly, the UK copy of the album has quietly dropped a rocky duet with Keith Urban in favour of a brace of ballads, including ‘Still On Your Side’ which seals Jimmy authoritative style.
You pays your money and you takes your choice, and while there’s no denying Jimmy’s natural hubris, the aim of the album is clearly to present a mature rocker basking in the autumn of his career.
The duets act as a perfect foil for a vocalist who attacks his material with an unrelenting ferocity that continues to mark him out as unique. It’s a shame that the album tries just a little too hard for commercial accessibility, with tracks like ‘Lay Down Your Guns’ sounding like a 70’s retro rocker with a melodic hook. He teams up with brother-in-law Diesel (Mark Lizotte) on ‘I’d Die To Be With You Tonight’, to channel his natural rocking exuberance to a commercial end, with a big uplifting hook over a layered sound and a rising guitar break that ends too quickly
Unsurprisingly he sounds closer to Southside Johnny on Little Steven’s ‘Ride The Night Away’ and phrases passionately with Tina Arena over Joe Bonamassa’s imperious guitar figure and mixed back horns to rescue the rather tame ‘Stone Cold’.
There are no half measures with Jimmy Barnes. He plays to his strengths and belts out his rough edge timbre over a series of coherent arrangements that include the surprisingly polished ‘Going Down Alone’ with Journey members Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain, and the harder edged word-play ‘Love And Hate’ with kiwi alt rock band Shihad.
‘Hindsight’ is a solid album that at its best finds Jimmy in sparkling duet mode. Longer term fans probably would have preferred more rock, but given it’s a 30 year solo career celebration, whose arguing? ****
Review by Pete Feenstra
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
Next session: Sunday 19 January
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
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 1 December 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 3 December 2024.
How to Listen Live?
Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)
Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.
More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com
Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024
In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections
Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)
PDF - you can delete unwanted sections
