
The latest album release from Todd Barrow brings out a classic country in Americana tonality with all the bells and whistles that are supposed to come along with it and it's delivered with a lush and robust character that you become quickly attached to from the first song on which is an aspect that a lot of different records are missing no matter what the genre so to hear it here was very refreshing.
The American Made LP it's quite graceful and has wonderful performances by all parts to the point where some of the record feels almost like it's live because the energy on it is so well done and has such a great presence.
It feels almost like the players are feeding off of each other the entire performance and that's what gives it that live undertone.
This really makes you want to see these songs performed live in your face because if the energy is captured on the record like this then seeing them live must be outstanding.
These are the kinds of things are really great artists is supposed to be able to put forward and Todd does this without a hitch and does it with a charm to boot.
One of the things I love about this record is the fact that it's got these old-school style vintage classic country songs on it, but it also has very updated and new country rock approaches as well and no matter which one you get if they're all authentic and have this great persona just bursting out of you.
The record is lush with an outstanding array of instrumentation, it's got such great perspectives lyrically and so descriptive at times that you can picture things in your head vividly as they're being sung, and choruses that stick with you for hours or sometimes even days after the songs have ended.
These are the makings of a classic country record and the way Todd puts it all together is with fewer boundaries than the norm so there are no walls and no standard cookie-cutter approaches that he follows throughout this record.
He just does his thing, his way and it all comes through feeling welcoming, familiar, descriptive, and catchy.
There are a handful of songs that stand on their own two feet very well as singles however, I would strongly suggest listening to this record from front to back as a whole because I feel like that's what this was meant for.
I believe in full-length albums and have missed them for some time, and it takes artists like Todd to be able to put those together again for the listener and make them creative and engaging.
I grew up in a time with CDs, cassettes, and vinyl records and when we picked one up it was usually a full-length album and you bought it because you heard a song on the radio, but you listen to the whole thing because, well, you just bought the whole thing.
The thing is, when you listen to a full album like that there's a bunch of other songs that hit you just as much as the single that enticed you to buy the record did.
This was done with heart, honesty, and a knack for songwriting that hits all the sweet spots and I'm giving this an 8 out of 10 easily.
And that's holding back some.
But don't just take my word for it, listen for yourself.
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