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Having spent the last several years as sideman to the underground/acid/freak folk stars (DEVANDRA BANHART, JOANNA NEWSOM, VETIVER, ESPERS and VASHTI BUNYAN, to name a few), guitarist/songwriter KEVIN BARKER steps out under his own name (following some recordings as CURRITUCK COUNTY) for You & Me. The credits namedrop as well – indie rock fans will notice the contributions of WILCO*’s *PAT SANSONE, ERIC JOHNSON of the FRUIT BATS, up-and-coming singer/songwriter and ELVIS COSTELLO sideguy JONATHAN WILSON, not to mention Barker’s erstwhile employers Newsom and OTTO HAUSER from Espers. Ultimately, though, the names don’t matter much – this is Barker’s show all the way. Eschewing the mannered weirdness of his day jobs, Barker instead hews closely to country/folk-flavored pop (for which Sansone and Rice are particularly suited). Obviously enamored of the early 70s Laurel Canyon sound (with a touch of American Beauty-era GRATEFUL DEAD on “My Lady” and a nod to ROY HARPER and JOHN MARTYN on “Bless You On Your Way”), Barker amiably meanders through eight easygoing melodies that will neither set your teeth on edge nor induce eargasms – unfailingly pleasant and tasteful, the tracks rarely conjure any real excitement. There’s nothing wrong with any of these tunes, mind you – just little captivating, either, whether by insinuation or obnoxiousness. Barker makes perfectly acceptable background music, but he’s got some work to do before he can hold the foreground.
