It doesn’t matter if you’re an indie kid looking for something classic, a dance head looking for something new or an old head who’s just looking for something, unite under the banner that is ‘We are Little Barrie’. It might be forty or so years late, but it’s as if Hendrix compiled a motown covers album and the stripped, rootsy grooves oozing out the CD player don’t belie the compact quality they possess. Breezing from Hendrix patented riffs, to blues inspired snaking and sliding, Barrie Cadogan – aka Little Barrie himself – will have the guitar purists purring in collective appreciation, enforcing the accolades of Mozzer himself and our jumpsuit wearing friend and album producer, Edwyn Collins.
The benefits of keeping it simple are there for all to hear. Everything from the composition to the classic tone allows Codogans guitar work to take centre stage without the vocals or rhythms being compromised, as everything blends into a listening experience exuding relaxation and fluency. The cocktail lounge charm of ‘Free Salute’ flows into ‘Burned Out’, a soul fuelled number complete with power harmonies that only lacks a pounding organ solo or a James Brown cameo. ‘Long Hair’ sounds not unlike The Verve’s ‘Rolling People’ in a Northern Soul kinda way, whilst ‘Move On So Easy’ sees a swinging 60’s vibe. Previous support slots with hip hop guru’s De la Soul may have raised a few eyebrows, but its Little Barrie’s organic, genre hopping that allows them to jam with practically anyone.
It might not be groundbreaking anymore, and there’ll probably never be a sold out stadium tour, but when it’s played this well, you can be content with a musical regression of this sort. No effects, no frills and refreshingly, no hype, but on the back of this effort, no doubt, a cult following will blindly precede. True to a cliché, it’s a case of a good thing, little package.
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