Bart Moore Releases New Music

Bart Moore is an experienced musician who has been entertaining audiences for years. He started his musical journey in San Francisco and then arrived in Lansing, Michigan. Once in Lansing he performed at venues such as The Turner-Dodge House, the Blue Owl Café, The Robin Theater (where he did his CD release), Moriarty’s, Kelly’s Downtown Pub, the Gallery Brewery (Portland), and open-air events and festivals around Michigan.

I couldn’t help but think of Johnny Cash when looking at the cover art for Graveyards Wind & War. On that note I wouldn’t say the music is that similar although an acoustic guitar and vocals are the main weapons here and you do encounter some darkness along with the light. 

“The Third Day” is the first song on the album. It begins with some very cool chord structures. I thought the hammer style of playing added some air to the sound. What’s just as cool is the other instruments that come into the mix. There are vocal harmonies which sound great but the violin work is truly exceptional. It also changes the emotion of the song. It creates some tension as well as providing a joyous feeling at times. There’s also vivid imagery within the poetic lyrics. Moore sings “Hey there’s fire in the sky/the angel of Lord, flames streaming from her eye / Balls and shells fill the air/seconds later Lang’s brigade in a flash wasn’t there.”

I’m all in when a song contains a wood flute. That’s what it sounds like on “I Will Go Where the Wind Blows” which is used sparingly. At the center of this song are the vocals and acoustic guitar but the additional ornamentation adds some extra emotional heft when needed. 

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/2xG3QqhnYGZrVOHwQBzQTS?si=DELfdEtKTKqZzxsryly17g&nd=1

“The Fly in the Ointment” is a fun one. The rhythm, the buoyancy and the overall energy is infectious. This is a song where I could imagine people dancing in a pub. Amazingly there’s no percussion on the song but it doesn't need it to get you moving.

“Graveyard” is next and one of my personal favorites. The song has a very catchy and accessible melody. In fact the cadence on the verse feels a little bit like a nursery rhyme. Once the chorus comes, it sort of settles into a little more emotion. The orchestral strings certainly play with the feelings here. There’s also some great lyrics as well. Moore sings “People come they talk to me in this graveyard/sorry man, you’re not even alive / You are long gone/long, long gone…”

Something about the vocal harmonies and structure of “Fire in the Rain” made me think of Cat Stevens. I didn’t notice it in the other songs but it popped up here. There’s also some fantastic guitar work with a spaghetti western feel in the middle of the song I was a huge fan of. 

One of the more pensive songs is “Marcelena” which features some of the most technically impressive guitar work while “Back to the Bad Old Days” reflects on the old days without warm nostalgia. “Pterodactyl (Color Wild the Sky)” closes the album and there’s a similar energy to the opener at first. The song is very upbeat and I thought it was a cool way to end the album.

Moore's experience and talent shines here. The songs got a hold of me and didn’t let go till the end. I give this one two thumbs up. 

Anne Hollister

Anne Hollister

We do music reviews for Independent Artists and Publicists.