REVIEW: Jason Barie — Radioactive (LP)
Jason Barie’s musical alter-ego, The Ramblin’ Fiddler, has opened creative vistas for the respected musician that playing under his own name doesn’t. He first adopted the persona for 2019’s Pieces and returns to the role for his new collection from Billy Blue Records entitled Radioactive. Barie has enlisted the help of numerous guest stars for The Ramblin’ Fiddler’s return, among them are such names as Doyle Lawson, Michael Cleveland, Jeff Parker, Russell Moore, and several other bluegrass giants. These songs are more than moonlighting from his touring duties with Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers; they are as pure an expression of Barie’s bluegrass gifts as a listener could hope for.
He swings into action with an instrumental. “Calaveras County” has a near-panoramic arrangement that would make an excellent soundtrack entry. It conjures visions of rough-hewn California countryside, rough riding over countless miles, and ultimately survival. Barie’s fiddle playing leads the way. Listening to him parry with the band’s guitar work is one of Radioactive’s unquestionable highlights.
“Keep a Memory” is a classy version of The Stanley Brothers’ chestnut full of low-key emotion and deft instrumental work. The patient way that Barie and his fellow musicians develop performances such as this are hallmarks of Barie’s work as the Ramblin’ Fiddler and his playing with Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers. “Darling Brown Eyes” dives into the Stanley Brothers’ catalog once more and results in a loving reinterpretation of the venerable bluegrass classic. The calm and artful consideration they give to performances such as this is a high water mark on Radioactive.
“In the Garden” is an instrumental take on the classic gospel standard. Innumerable musicians have covered the classic over the years such as Elvis, Anne Murray, and Alan Jackson, among others. Barie’s decision to forego the song’s lyrics may seem practically sacrilegious to some listeners, but even a single listen to this interpretation of the song will sway even the hardest of hearts. “I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name” returns listeners to vocal-driven songs and it’s interesting to note Barie’s flexibility. He invests every bit as much of his musical imagination into these songs as he does instrumentals, but his presence remains unmistakable. This track is another song with a long history and Barie lays his claim to a piece of its lineage without ever disrespecting the past.
Barie’s familiarity with “Pickin’ in the Parlor” from his time playing with Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers makes this one of the album’s best instrumentals. It’s a brisk and lively tune that will greet with genuine enthusiasm. Radioactive’s penultimate tune “The Man from Jenkins” is the album’s final instrumental performance and rates as a near tour de force for Barie’s fiddle playing. Longtime lovers of bluegrass will embrace this album with open arms and newcomers to Barie’s work will seek out more where this came from. It’s a rousing achievement by any measure and it’s easy to understand why Jason Barie is one of the most in-demand fiddle players working today.
Colin Jordan
