DANNY BARNES

DANNY BARNES
STOVE UP

Wendell Records
WR003

According to the notes in the accompanying booklet, this latest project from Danny Barnes is a tribute to the late Don Stover, a banjo player who was a heavy influence on Barnes. While having never met Stover, Barnes attributes Stover’s 1972 Rounder LP Things In Life as the catalyst that caused him to focus on playing banjo. He even styled his Bad Livers band after the Stover style. Some of the songs from that LP are reprised here, albeit with the Barnes stamp on them.

Songs like “Black Diamond,” “Rockwood Deer Chase,” “Ole Liza Jane,” and “Paddy On The Turnpike.” Other covers of standard instrumentals include “John Hardy,” “Bill Cheatum,” “Farewell Blues,” “Flint Hill Special,” and “Foggy Mountain Special.” Barnes also contributes a slowed-down version of “Steel Guitar Rag,” and his own tune “Isotope 709.” Vocally, Barnes offers a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Factory Girl,” and two of his own, “Charlie” and “Get It While You Can,” the latter featuring Barnes on 12-string guitar.

Helping out on the CD are Jason Carter (fiddle), Mike Bub (bass), Chris Henry (mandolin, National Tenor guitar), and Nick Forster (guitar, mandolin), who also produced the project. Perhaps some will find Barnes’ banjo style inspiring as much as Don Stover’s was to him. (www.dannybarnes.com)BF