02.18.12
Beebe, AR
Chicago Tribune Review
COUNTRY RECORDINGS
By Alison Bonaguro | Special to the Tribune April 20, 2008
"Jeff Bates," Jeff Bates (Black River Music Group)
A hard-core baritone never sounded better. Jeff Bates' newest album, 13 tunes that rock back and forth effortlessly between the poignant and the witty, gives his heavy voice something to do. And the steady pace makes the entire album very listenable. "Lonesome" explores his tortured soul, and the modern-day Jesus story "He Wasn't Like Us" allows Bates to pull off an almost Christian-rock sound. The album includes a couple of cliché songs about being from the country but not enough to lower his score for originality.
By Alison Bonaguro | Special to the Tribune April 20, 2008
"Jeff Bates," Jeff Bates (Black River Music Group)
A hard-core baritone never sounded better. Jeff Bates' newest album, 13 tunes that rock back and forth effortlessly between the poignant and the witty, gives his heavy voice something to do. And the steady pace makes the entire album very listenable. "Lonesome" explores his tortured soul, and the modern-day Jesus story "He Wasn't Like Us" allows Bates to pull off an almost Christian-rock sound. The album includes a couple of cliché songs about being from the country but not enough to lower his score for originality.
