What We Want, What We Get

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What We Want, What We Get album cover
Album Information

Total Tracks: 10   Total Length: 39:41

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Amelia Raitt

eMusic Contributor

Amelia Raitt is a former writer for the television program Mr. Belvedere and has been writing about pop music of all colors and stripes for eMusic since 2005. S...more »

04.06.10
Dave Barnes, What We Want, What We Get
2010 | Label: Razor & Tie

It may be easy to be distracted by his perfectly tousled bangs and Abercrombie model appearance, but don't sell singer songwriter Dave Barnes short. His latest record shows off the plethora of influences that make him so much more than a pretty boy with a guitar, from the brassy Motown sound of "Chameleon" to the reggae-inflected "Little Lies" and the stirring gospel ballad appropriately called "Amen." And his voice! As soulful as his baby blues.

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One of the best pop writers around...

Jeb

Barnes has a way of dipping his fingers into paints from 1970s/80s pop soul, alt-country, gospel, rock & roll, and smearing all those colors together into catchy singalong gems. This album is no exception, although the songwriting has less to do with finding love than it does with keeping love and harmony in a relationship. Sometimes I caught myself singing along and then thinking "OK, whoa, that's a heartwrenching lyric", but that's Barnes' gift...he can make you smile and cry/cringe/think at the same time. It's an awesome album.

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Great songs on every cd

Skinnyboy

I can't say I'm one of those people who LOVE every cd he releases (see the reviews over on Amazon), but I CAN say that I love at least two or three songs on EACH of his cds. He's hard to pin down because he has rock, soul, R&B, and gospel influences. I'd say start with "Until You" from his 2004 cd, and work your way up from there.

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Great find!

songbern

I'm surprised no one else has reviewed this artist. I just downloaded his free track "Little Lies" and then proceeded to download the next five. (My remaining downloads for the month) When they resume, I'll be back for the rest of this hidden gem and investigate more of Dave Barnes music. Thank you eMusic for introducing him to me!

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They Say All Music Guide

Dave Barnes is best known in the Christian market, where his songs have been covered by the likes of Bethany Dillon and Bebo Norman, but his fourth album takes most of its cues from Top 40 pop. What We Want, What We Get is thoroughly — almost meticulously — tuneful, filled with the sort of poppy singer/songwriter fare popularized by artists like Gavin DeGraw and Jason Mraz. Some Southern soul runs beneath the music, too, a reminder of Barnes’ Mississippi roots. It’s difficult to find fault with anything here — Barnes rarely shows off, sticking to a mix of affable ballads and walking-speed rockers that are intended to soothe rather than ruffle any feathers — and the few chances he does take all pay off, from the ’70s-styled soft rock of “Someone’s Somebody” (delivered with the same retro reverence that Josh Rouse brought to 1972) to “Amen,” the album’s gospel-styled closer. Most of What We Want is focused on straightforward pop/rock tunes, though, and Barnes delivers those numbers with all the ease of the artists he obviously admires. – Andrew Leahey

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