Barry Gibb: In the Now
Barry Gibb
In the Now
(Columbia)
A breathy warble falsetto informs the obviously big, commercial single-of-a-title-track of Barry Gibbâs In the Now. This is the sole surviving Bee Geeâs only second solo album (his first was 1984âs Now Voyager) with the last new material he released being on the Bee Geeâs 2001 This Is Where I Came In. With his two brothers, Maurice and Robin, having died, the Bee Geeâs were over and Barry probably simply figured his career was done. But such is not the case with this 12-song album (there are three extra songs on the deluxe version). âGrand Illusionâ leads with chunkier guitar, big, snapping drums, and lots more space on the verses. The harmony vocals on the chorus here are especially perfect. âHome Truth Song,â a good medium tempo rock song sees Barry using his lower register around fine roiling piano, organ, and drums to a Bob Seger-like chorus. âShadowsâ is more MOR territory, with sweet acoustic guitar noodling, again showcasing Barryâs falsetto warble (the lyrics evoking some nice images). âThe Long Goodbyeâ mines classic Bee Geeâs; itâs breathy, moved along by slow, simple piano, building strings and mournful horn sweeps. âDiamonds,â with its jangly acoustic and stark and dramatic verses, is very strong, maybe the showcase of the album actually, but the choruses never fulfill. The last tune of the regular album though, âEnd of the Rainbow,â is a great, piano-led blues ballad of reflection with the perfect lyrics from this man at this time in his life. Barry Gibbâs In the Now is a welcomed big release from a survivor.