In the Now

Personnel: Barry Gibb (vocals, guitar); Dan Warner, Stephen Gibb (guitar); Monica Cheveresan, Scott Flavin, Huifang Chen, Carol Cole, Evija Ozolins, Tomas Cotik, Valentin Mansurov, Mark Schuppener, Alferdo Olivia (violin); Scott O'Donnell, Chauncey Patterson, Anthony Parce (viola); David Cole, Claudio Jaffe (cello); Ed Calle (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Ed Maina (baritone saxophone); Doug Michels, Jim Hacker (trumpet); John Kricker (trombone); Doug Emery, Ben Stivers (keyboards); Lee Levin (drums, percussion); Carlos Guzman (drum); Richard Bravo (percussion).
Audio Mixer: Mick Guzauski.
Recording information: Hit Factory Studios, Miami, FL.; Megawatt Recording, Los Angeles, CA.
Photographer: Danny Clinch.
With a legendary career both with the Bee Gees and as a songwriter and producer outside the group, it seems somehow impossible that 2016's In the Now is only Barry Gibb's second true solo album. Working with his sons Steve and Ashley, recording in the studios where the Gibb brothers made their classic mid-'70s hits, still haunted by the deaths of his three brothers, the album is a family affair and the songs feel like they are true statements of where Barry Gibb stands as he reaches the back stretch of his life. The lyrics speak of journeys and memories, death and rebirth, sadness and the comfort of lasting love, all sung in a voice battered by the years. Traces of the elastic falsetto Gibb made famous flicker here and there, but the bulk of the vocals are delivered with a husky vibrato that makes everything he sings sound ripped from somewhere adjacent to his soul. Gibb touches various styles, landing briefly on disco, modern rock, and classic adult contemporary, while even making a quick stop at Bee Gees-style psych pop. ~ Tim Sendra