James “JB” Barnes – My Mississippi Roots
Independent
www.jbkeepingthebluesalive.com
13 tracks – 63 minutes
Cleveland born and New Jersey raised James ‘JB’ Barnes traces his roots back to Mississippi dating to the Barnes Plantation where his ancestors were slaves and then to 1928 when his father was born. His father than moved north in the 1950’s seeking work and shifted eastward in 1965. His exploration of his family’s history also extended to a look at the region’s blues artists. This search and studies of those past artists all come together in this mixture of originals and covers for this new release. While he has been performing for many years, this is only his second recording. His debut album, “J.B.’s Favorite Things” was released in 2023. Despite the lack of album releases, JB has long been a favorite performer in his region, which led to him being inducted into the New Jersey Blues Hall of Fame in 2016.
JB plays bass and provides the backing vocals for most tracks and his son Jarred “ARKTKT” Barnes plays keyboards. Anthony Krizan from The Spin Doctors produced the album, plays guitar and provides lead vocals on most tracks. Carmine Diorio is the drummer.
“Get Up and Go Blues” opens the album with a tale of struggles to move on from a bad situation all the while trying to find any positives for the situation as he notes “I know it’s not going to change”. Steven Braxton guests onlead vocals for the song. JB takes the lead vocals as he exclaims I “Gotta Make a Change” in a slow, classic blues citing his recognition that “If I keep living the way I am living, nothing is going to change”. “When I was a young man, I walked the straight and narrow every day. Now I’m an old man and I battle the devil every day.” Anthony Krizan takes lead vocals with Will Wilde guesting on harmonica for the “Brown Eyed Blues Man”, who is “just looking for love”.
JB then makes a pointed statement with a humorous touch as he asks, “When Did Crime Become Legal?”. and follows with “When did politicians become so evil? followed by a chorus of “Lies, lies, lies, cheat, cheat, cheat, why, why, why”. “Southern Girl” chronicles his father’s search for love and meeting his mother in a slow, moving and romantic blues story. “My Mississippi Roots” continues the story of his father’s journey facing prejudice in the 1940’s leading to his move north. He says, “My daddy made a living working dawn to dusk. My mama drove a school bus to take care of us”. “Our family stayed strong, but with the world still knocking at the door.” “Hard times in the darkness and never calling out my name.” “The JB Shuffle” is an airy instrumental mixture of jazz and blues with Will again on harmonica and marks the shift into the covers that follow.
Steven Braxton takes the lead vocals on Hall and Oates’ soulful “Sara Smiles” from 1975 converting the song into a blues ballad giving it a new depth. Carey Bell’s 1959 “Lonesome Stranger” pays homage to the Mississippi harmonica master with Krizan again taking the vocal lead. The song addresses the lonely life of a traveling musician. Braxton takes the lead on a slower blues version of The Rolling Stones’ 1969 “Wild Horses” giving ties to his family history as he dedicates it to the devotion his father had for his mother and family.
“Blues Falling Down Like Rain” was originally written and recorded by Bill Chinnock in 1974 but gained popularity with Kenny Neal’s 1998 rendition. Braxton again takes lead vocals. The song reflects that like rain, the blues can reflect the hard times but also like rain, it can turn into a restorative source. Jeff Beck’s 2014 “Brush with the Blues” is an instrumental tribute to Beck and a challenge for the musicians who recorded it live with no overdubs. The album concludes with a final original with JB on lead vocals and declaring it’s time to “Stand Up and Give Peace and Love a Chance” in a throwback to a 1970’s funk sound.
JB’s roots successfully cover a lot of ground both from a personal narrative but also with an extension of the music of his ancestors showing how it fits a modern narrative.
