Music Review: Bobby Bare, Jr., Undefeated

By Melissa Bratcher

I was watching a Hee Haw rerun a few weeks ago, and Bobby Bare was on with his kids. He was joined by two little boys for “Marie Laveau” and then sang “Daddy What If” with just one of them, a sprightly little fella with an excellent haircut. This, of course, led me down the Internet rabbit hole of finding out who that cute little boy was, and I arrived at the conclusion that the adorable kid was Bobby Bare, Jr.

While he could have carved out a career in music following in his father’s footsteps, Bobby Bare, Jr. has instead made his own way. His latest, Undefeated, is a grab bag of musical styles and influences, shot through with a thorough dose of clear-eyed realism and the occasional wrenching heartbreak.

What makes the album work so well is his voice. I have spent hours trying to figure out exactly who his voice reminds me of, but I’ve come up short (as soon as this is published, I’ll figure it out). It’s a singular, lived-in, warm blanket of a voice that is honest and unaffected. It’s the kind of voice a man grows into—the kind of voice a man earns. He’s not a flashy singer. But he’s a damn good one.

The slow groove of opening track “North Of Alabama By Mornin’” sets the tone with a touch of swampy funk. “If She Cared” is sadness cloaked in a sweet lope of a song (“If she cared where I was/I wouldn’t be here with you right now) sung not so much bitter as resigned. “Don’t Wanna Know” is surf music from space with echoey guitar and sweet harmonies from ladies. It has a nice propulsive bass line and is another song of a heartbroken man.

“The Big Time” is a rocking kiss off with a Stax-meets-mariachi horn section and witty lyrics (“You’re gonna miss me/after I hit the big time/gonna go get brand new famous friends” and “You won’t recognize me after I hit the big time/‘cause my Asian stylist will be in complete control/I’m gonna speak so differently after I hit the big time/’cause this Southern drawl is just draggin’ me down”). “My Baby Took My Baby Away” is a banjo-led sweetly jealous paean to a new dad losing his wife to their child who “rolls around on the kitchen floor in his underwear.” It’s painfully relatable and charming.

Undefeated is a record that wears its heart on its sleeve. Unafraid to be vulnerable with his lyrics, Bobby Bare, Jr. has made a warm, clever, experimental album that is completely engaging and appealing. He’s got an original voice literally and lyrically and it is well worth hearing.

Undefeated was released on April 15 through Bloodshot Records.