28th & Stonewall

Remember that salty young uncle of yours? The one with a penchant for gentle ribaldry, girlie calendars, and nuggets like “You’re only in trouble if you get caught?" He’s the king of  standards on guitar and harmonica; dogs and children love him—and Tim Barry, earnest and sunburned by the Southern skies, is his spitting image on 28th & Stonewall, which was just released on local label Suburban Home Records. Barry is every bit as corny and jovial, and endearingly so.

As the former frontman for Avail, Barry isn’t afraid to let his punk roots show through: 28th is number three in a series of solo country records, and although he’s grown accustomed to the slower-paced sound, he can’t help but belt it out instead of croon. His balladeering—ranging on subjects from the ills of consumer culture to cheatin’ women—is largely conversational, delivered in a frank, scratchy bellow and peppered with curse words. 28th is a no-fuss effort, moderately up-tempo and feisty; beefed up at parts with violins (on the weeper “Moving On Blue”) and a wash of brass (“Will Travel,” “With Ease I Leave”), courtesy of the sprightly No BS! Brass Band.

Nevertheless, the album feels uneven and hastily executed—possibly from his determined recording schedule and ceaseless touring? Although genuinely heartfelt in delivery and craft, Barry’s lyricism also comes off a bit ham-fisted, especially when dealing with heavier subject matter. The story of a slave uprising on “Prosser’s Gabriel” suffers from an awkward and verbose rehash seemingly plucked from a Wikipedia blurb. More rollicking numbers—such as opener “Thing Of The Past” and closer “Bus Driver”—work better, favoring self-deprecation and left-wing sass over more serious messages.

Barry, undoubtedly, is a stand-up guy. He has lots weighing on his mind and he doesn’t hesitate to speak it, albeit with a grizzled warmth. But, perhaps, he should slow from the breakneck pace and cheap sentiment of his younger years and focus instead on the real stuff—the winking, hard-won wisdom only ex-punkers can truly dish.