Undefeated is BBJ’s first release since 2010, and is what he calls his break-up record.Here are reality checks, clever word-play, and daring arrangements with raw and varied textures, channelling everything from mirror-ball gazing 70’s R&B/soul, to bright ballads from the hills and hollers of Venice Beach, to Bobby’s own country music DNA.
Review:
Bobby Bare, Jr. has the heart of a poet and the soul of a drunk who can
be counted on to tell some funny stories at the bar on Friday night. Or is it
the heart of a drunk and the soul of a poet? Whatever the case, Bare has
perfected the art of wearing his heart on his sleeve while spinning musical
shaggy dog stories that can be either hilarious or harrowing, and he once again
reveals just how good he is at such things on his fourth album with his Young
Criminals' Starvation League, 2014's Undefeated. Musically, this is an
adventurous set, as Bare and his bandmates eagerly detour their country-accented
rock and pop through echoey lo-fi thunder on the title track, conjure clouds of
distorted guitars and organs on “North of Alabama by Mornin',” embrace hissy
drum boxes and cheesy organ on “The Big Time,” and dive deep into witty yet
creepy keyboard-driven pop on “The Elegant Imposter.” As for Bare's songs,
busted relationships seem to be on his mind on Undefeated, as he ponders how
parenthood ruined his relationship on “My Baby Took My Baby Away” (a song
that could have been written by a Southern-accented Harry Nilsson), takes rueful
aim at an ex and himself in “If She Cared,” mentally checks out on “Don't
Wanna Know,” and nails down the various points of a breakup in “As Forever
Became Never Again.” Bare and his bandmates don't try to force humor when it
doesn't belong on Undefeated, but there is a certain woozy wit that snakes in
and out of several of these tunes despite the heartache and occasional bad
feelings, and Bare and his bandmates give these songs just the right
instrumental attack, tight yet ambling, and this ranks with Bare's best work
since Bare Jr. called it a day. You don't want to choose Bobby Bare, Jr. to be
your designated driver, but if you want him to sum up your day and your week,
he's up to the challenge, and Undefeated is a revealing set of songs that spins
gold from life's big and little ups and downs.
All Music Guide – Mark Deming