Webb Barringer's upcoming EP melds Bob Dylan and Jason Isbell
Webb Barringer’s EP, Show That Tombstone Smile, is scheduled for release at Tremont Tavern on Saturday, June 24th and the consummate performer and artist has raised his own personal bar yet again.
Not many artists could say as much with only five tracks. For some, a disc this size would be a mere sampler, basically a “Hey, here’s some stuff we do.” For others, it would paint an incomplete picture and for still others, it would be a struggle to assemble five songs worth a damn.
But Barringer has seemingly managed to distill a lifetime of experience into a small, powerful, super-concentrated package. The result is an EP that puts many a full-length album to shame with its depth and breadth.
Stylistically the work has some Dylanesque qualities and not just the beautifully presented harmonica. I hesitate to make that comparison for two reasons. One, Dylan’s status is almost god-like among his fans (and the world in general I suppose) so drawing a comparison is risky business. Two, while Dylan’s lyrics are almost always poetic and sometimes profound, there are also plenty of instances where they sound profound but on closer inspection are rather nonsensical.
Before you start bombarding me with hate mail please know that I have heard Dylan himself say publicly when questioned about people’s search for hidden meaning in some of his lyrics, “Man, I just thought it sounded good.”
There’s nothing wrong with “just sounding good,” but Barringer’s lyrics, which do sound good and are quite poetic, also seem to carry some real depth so, more Dylanesque than Dylan, and honestly, I think a better comparison could be made between Webb’s work and Jason Isbell.
Webb is the quintessential singer/songwriter, using observation and experience to weave relatable stories with grace and artistry, but doing so without a shred of hubris or arrogance.
To the contrary, everything about his style and demeanor has an instantly likeable, “Shucks, I’m just a guy with a guitar” quality to it.
Do not be deceived, though, for while he may be “a guy with a guitar,” he is also a poet and artist of the highest caliber and if his songs seem stripped down and minimalist, it is because they require no further adornment. They are raw and powerful just the way they are and frankly, to make them more complicated would rob them of some of that power.
“Getting to Know Me” is, for me, the stand-out track in this collection of stand-out tracks. “So if you feel uncertain, know that confusion is a trait of the free. And don’t feel like the only one hurtin’. I, too, am getting to know me.”
I don’t know that I can convey the gravitas of those lyrics without the context of the full song, but I urge you to hear it in its entirety. It is one of the most beautifully crafted tunes I’ve heard and while it happens to be the one that resonated most with me personally, all of the tracks are just as artfully constructed and lovingly performed.
The EP was recorded by Brett Nolan out at the Soundry and while there are many excellent engineers and producers in the area, Brett was the right man for this job, capturing the subtlety and intimacy of Webb’s performance in a way that makes you feel like you’re sitting in a small bar, listening to the man on stage ten feet away.
There’s lots of great music in this town, much of it comes and goes, but Webb Barringer is something a little more solid and permanent, an artist who is here to stay. You can preorder the album now on Amazon and iTunes but I highly recommend treating yourself to the live performance on the 24th at Tremont Tavern.