Erstwhile Bongos leader Richard Barone is usually too busy producing records and tribute concerts to make his own music – hence the several year cycle it took to create his newest LP. But Glow is worth the wait. Fans of Barone’s prior recordings know to expect sterling, quirky modern pop, and that’s exactly what the songwriter/guitarist delivers. From psychedelic (“Candied Babes”) to straightforward (“Gravity’s Pull”), observant (“Odd Girl Out”) to epic (“Sanctified”), sublime (“Silence is Our Song”) to silly (“1-2-3…Infinity”), Barone and his co-producers (mainly Tony Visconti, a perfect match) hold to high standards of craft and sonic perfection without losing the singer’s essential spark. Barone covers T.Rex‘s “Girl,” a frothy cut from his hero Marc Bolan that is as much a signpost for his artistic sensibility – playful, experimental and sentimental all at once – as his original tunes. Beautifully produced, written and performed, Glow lives up its lofty title.
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