Joints & Jams – Album Review, Golden Days

Dave Barnes, Golden Days

“But what makes it a Dave Barnes song?” This question was posed to me by an acquaintance within the last few weeks. How’d we get there? No idea. I think we kicked it off with me ranting about the numerous reasons I despise the Green Hills area, but that’s neither here nor there (but if I had to pick, it’s there). When I heard the question, I was slightly taken aback and I answered, somewhat dismissively (but no less truthfully), “Uh, because it’s awesome.”

I had that question on my mind when I finally got a chance to listen to Dave’s new album, Golden Days, and it was resolved almost immediately with the opening track, “Twenty Three.” Ah, yes. The whimsy, the fun, the wistfulness, the self-awareness and the sincerity. These songs, with those elements at their core, speak to my heart. The lyrics also get burrowed so deeply in my head that I start using them in everyday conversation. Strange? Maybe, but let’s be honest: if you and I are having a chat that doesn’t allow me to randomly insert the phrase “We were young and fun, just another band on the run,” should we even be talking?

Still, as Dave Barnes albums go, this one is a little hard to pin down thematically. It’s not overly romantic, or particularly focused on social issues and/or spiritual matters, like some of his earlier projects, though it definitely has songs that be described as such (“By Two,” “Good”). This album feels a little like reflecting on a very fully lived life, coming to terms with all the things that did (or in some cases didn’t) happen, being open to everything else life can bring, and seeing the beauty in the ordinary. There’s definite journey that takes place from “Twenty Three” to
the closing track, “Hotel Keys;” not gonna lie, after I heard listened to this, I thought, “Um…is this the last album?!” Probably not, but even if it is, I’m happy to know that whenever the times comes for me to look back on my golden days, there will be a special section for the music that Dave Barnes brings.

The song with the key to my heart in the first sentence (this big ol’ bottle of wine): Sharon Sue

The “I can sympathize with this girl’s problems, but really, I just want to dance to this” song: Can’t She Try