AMG Review of 20 Bare Essentials

Thom Jurek
All Music Guide

There are too few Bobby Bare compilations out there that matter. 20 Bare Essentials from Music Hill is one of the great exceptions, and it's even more so because it's not an import. These 20 tracks offer a solid aural view of what made Bobby Bare such a fine performer and song interpreter during the 1960s and '70s. From "That's How I Got to Memphis," and "The Year Clayton Delaney Died," "Crazy Arms," and any of his readings of Kris Kristofferson's tunes, these are top shelf performances by a singer and stylist who deserves more than he got.