亡き弟たちに捧ぐ、ビージーズのバリー・ギブ、32年振りの新作!ビージーズで「マサチューセッツ」(洋楽アーティストで初のオリコン1位獲得/50万枚)、「メロディ・フェア」(映画『小さな恋のメロディ』主題歌/オリコン3位/45万枚)、『サタデー・ナイト・フィーヴァー』(オリコン3位/50万枚)他、数多くのヒット曲、ヒット・アルバム を世に送り出し大成功を収めた、史上最高のソングライターの一人、バリー・ギブ。バリー・ギブがソロ名義で新作を発表するのは1984年リリースの『Now Voyager』以来32年ぶり。また新たなスタジオ・アルバムをリリースするのはビージーズの最後のスタジオ作2001年『This Is Where I Came In』以来15年振りとなる。新作『イン・ザ・ナウ』収録曲はすべて自身の息子スティーヴンとアシュリーとともに書いた新曲で、バリー・ギブとジョン・マーチャントによる共同プロデュースによって自宅のあるマイアミで制作された。2人の弟の死を乗り越え、史上最高のソングライターの一人、バリー・ギブが再始動する。ビージーズを彷彿とさせるファルセット・ヴォイス、メロディ&ハーモニー等聴きどころ満載のアダルト・コンテンポラリーな"大人のアルバム"が完成。
発売・販売元 提供資料(2016/08/29)
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|
Rovi
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
Rovi
稀代のポップメイカーであるバリー・ギブの、意外なことに32年ぶりとなるソロ作。ビー・ジーズで活動を共にしてきたモーリスとロビン、そしてアンディ──3人の弟たちの他界を見送った先に辿り着いた安寧の地、とも言うべき穏やかで優しい仕上がりだ。とりわけ、妻への思いを綴ったビー・ジーズ調の"Star Crossed Lovers"と、弟たちに捧げた"End Of The Rainbow"の美しさは筆舌に尽くしがたい。
bounce (C)北爪啓之
タワーレコード(vol.396(2016年10月25日発行号)掲載)