Martin Barre

Roads Less Travelled

New album from former Jethro Tull guitarist.

Martin Barre has been performing as a solo artist since the 1990s, and this is his seventh album under his own name. For it, he’s brought on board a number of musicians from his home county of Devon, including Becca Langsford on vocals, Josiah J on percussion and Hammond, and Buster Cottam on bass.

The best feature of this album is its tightly knitted arrangements and a good ensemble feel – this is no mere showcase for Barre to go a -soloing. This is evident on Badcore Blues, where the intricacy of the playing colours and adds to the finer points of the songwriting, and in the ear-catching moments like the flurry of bass in the mid-section of Out Of Time.

At times, on the title track for instance, the fabric of these songs can feel a bit tried and trusted, like 70s denim. But even if it’s not a lyrically ambitious album, it’s certainly picturesque at times, the mandolin that courses and tinkles like a stream through (This Is) My Driving Song being a case in point.