Been Down That Muddy Road

The most remarkable thing about Been Down That Muddy Road may be that it exists at all. Swamp rocker Joe Barry hadn't been heard from in more than 20 years when Night Train Records, which issued a Barry compilation in 1999, tracked him down in his hometown and, with the help of Mike Vice and Pershing Wells of the band Blue-Eyed Soul, managed to piece together this album. The reason the project was so difficult to make was that the ailing Barry wasn't able to sing complete takes, and so the tracks had to be laboriously overdubbed. Happily, the effort is not apparent in the final product. On the opening track, a version of the Police's "Every Breath You Take," Barry sounds like Fats Domino covering that song in his familiar style, and this is far from the first time Barry has been compared with Domino. But he reveals various other styles, including blues, honky tonk, and folk-rock, in the rest of the album, as well as evokes other better-known artists. One hears elements of Dr. John, Freddy Fender, and Bob Dylan here and there, and anyone who likes such performers would like this disc. Of course, there's also a heavy helping of Barry's Cajun roots as well. The songs, all Barry originals except for the two versions of "Every Breath You Take" (there's also one in French), reflect on his life and times, right down to the approach of death on the final "So Long, Goodbye." This album is more than just a coda to the career of a legendary, if obscure rocker. It is a striking final statement.