By Jeff Vice
Deseret News
TIM BARRY; “28th & Stonewall” (Suburban Home) ★★★1/2
“28th & Stonewall” is not only Richmond, Va. singer-songwriter Tim Barry’s best sounding album, it’s also his best, most consistent collection of songs to date.
Again teaming with his longtime collaborator and co-producer Lance Koehler, Barry’s songwriting has matured over the course of his career. And the broader palate of material here allows him to adventurous arrangements.
For example, some of this album’s folk and alt-country songs feature down-and-dirty, bayou-style brass accompaniments. Most notable is the bluesy “Will Travel.”
However, it’s not a total, drastic departure from the stripped-down, man-and-guitar sound he perfected in both 2006’s “Rivanna Junction” and 2008’s “Manchester.”
Armed with his trusty six-string, Barry revisits America’s shameful, slave-trade past with “Prosser’s Gabriel,” an anthem that’s reminiscent of folk great Woody Guthrie (a clear influence on Barry’s career, whether as a solo artist or with Avail, the acclaimed “emo-core” band he founded.)
Meanwhile, “Walk 500 Miles” finds Barry exploring a dying relationship.
“Lord, I get so lonely, like you wouldn’t believe. But I’m lonelier here now with you next to me,” he sings with clear regret in his voice.
While much of “28th & Stonewall” has a similarly mournful or somber tone, the album does close with “Bus Driver,” a brisk shout-along that includes, in Barry’s words, “ ‘gang vocals by friends lured to the studio by pizza and beer.’ ”
And the album opener, “Thing of the Past,” is a foot-stomping country number driven by electric and pedal steel guitar.
(Barry is expected to drawn on material from all three albums, as well as some select covers, when he plays a March 25 show at Burts Tiki Lounge, a club open to patrons 21 and older.)

E-mail: jeff@desnews.com