Shag

Album Review

In 1999, doctors diagnosed Chris Barron with a vocal chord ailment that they said would leave him unable to sing - and maybe even speak - for the rest of his life. And in 2001 the remaining members of the Spin Doctors, Chris barron and drummer Aaron Comess decided to take a hiatus from the tumltuous pop group to focus on side projects. So it wasn't looking like fans of pop music would ever hear from Chris Barron again. Luckily, Barron had a miraculous recovery (after a silent year) and then self-released a CD called Shag in 2001. The album contains eleven songs that are better than many of the tunes on recent Spin Doctors CDs. "Providence" has a driving backbeat, an infectiously repeating guitar riff, and a surprising horn section. It is moving to hear Chris Barron's voice back to normal, if a bit restrained on Shag. "When You're Through" is a uptempo ballad about longing and unrequited love, Barron's thematic strength. "Who's That?" is a funky dream-like tune with a spacy guitar and his strongest singing on any record. "Who's That?" would be a crowd-pleaser like "Shinbone Alley" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong." Trying to replicate the success of the Spin Doctors while also dealing with changing relationships within the band proved to be too trying. Shag signifies a rebirth for Chris Barron as an artist. For the first time he is calling the shots and expressing a singular artistic voice. All indications are that this will be a valuble period for the Grammy-nominated songwriter. Shag contains Barron's most personal lyrics since "Two Princes" and "How Could You want Him?." It is only available through www.chrisbarron.com. Barron plays to enter the studio again in 2001 to record another solo work. Blues Traveler's John Popper and The Barenaked Ladies' Jim Creegan have both expressed interest in helping out.