“Angels And One-Armed Jugglers” by Chris Barron, Americana with Spin Doctors Twist to it!

I remember blasting “Little Miss(Can’t Be Wrong)” and “Two Princes” every chance that I got when it came to the Spin Doctors in the 1990’s.  In fact, Spin Doctors was one of the first cassettes that I owned and I would only blast those two songs.  It brought back the feelgood vibes of 1990’s alternative rock that bands like Spin Doctors, Nine Days, and New Radicals provided.  The music rocked, yet the listener knew that the music was quite tongue-in-cheek.  Such innocent times back then.  On October 20th, 2017, Spin Doctors frontman Chris Barron released his solo project entitled “Angels And One-Armed Jugglers”.

Apparently, Chris Barron only has one working vocal cord, however, it’s not noticed in any of the tracks as he still packs a punch with his vocals, and this album showcases a more bluesy, Americana, more serious side to Chris Barron.  Chris Barron’s studio band included Spin Doctors drummer Aaron Comess, “Saturday Night Live” drummer Shawn Pelton, and Jesse Murphy on bass.

The album is packed with Americana flavor and “heartland of America” vibes, in particular in the songs “Angels And One-Armed Jugglers” and “Raining Again”.  The first song has definitely a serious undertone, while “Raining Again” has a Bruce Springsteen(Badlands era) vibe with the subtle piano keys and the sound rhythm section.  The drums and rhythm section sound massive in the track “Saving Grace”, and the catchy songwriting abilities that Chris Barron provides is uncanny.  The song talks about how the listener can always go home, dust themselves off, and get back out there again, hence “home being the saving grace”.

If you’re looking for Spin Doctors type of material from Chris Barron, the listener will be really hard pressed to find that except in the track “April And May”.  In this track, the overlaying of the guitars sounds really snappy and the rhythm section is resounding and it brings back that good time nostalgia that fans of Spin Doctors will be looking for in the track.  The chorus is catchy and quite tongue-in-cheek.  Otherwise, “Angels And One-Armed Jugglers” showcases Chris Barron in a different and refreshing light.  Listeners will be pleasantly surprised at how eclectic and diverse that Chris Barron portrays in the arrangements of the music and in the depth of his songwriting.  Madness To Creation rates this record an 8 out of 10 stars.

“Angels And One Armed Jugglers” by Chris Barron

1.  Angels And One-Armed Jugglers
2.  April And May
3.  Darken My Door
4.  Gonna (Need Someone)
5.  In A Cold Kind Of Way
6.  Raining Again
7.  Saving Grace
8.  Still A Beautiful World
9.  The World Accordion To Garp
10.  Till The Cows Come Home
11.  Too Young To Fade

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