Barry James

Mesmerizing and ambient rock/pop newage writing, with an easy flowing instrumental touch is what's in store in artist Barry James (McCabe's) musical project Red Badge Moment. Courage is what you'll fine as McCabe performed, wrote, and recorded the four song CD titled, "Terra Incognita" - and each song, averaging nearly six minutes, lives a life of it's own as McCabe combines concise and emotional lyrical performances with keyboard and guitar loops that combine air and layers to send the listener into Red Badge bliss. The opening track, "Happy Airports", uses a delayed and arpeggiated guitar line to ease us into this journey, and when Barry enters with this tremendous vocal interpretation of his own song, the sincerity bleeds forth with music that forces one to sway and yearn for a resolution to the heartfelt pain, numbness, and anguish delivered within this song, 'why should I trust, you don't trust me, what good does this do?' Tremendous artistic achievement. The long mp3'd track, "Lost Highway", potentially a David Lynch inspired composition, moves with waves as guitar layers move into what seems like space - but is representative of that long lost highway that seems to go on forever - and musically, this song goes on forever - but to the delight of the ear as McCabe morphs the chord progressions into each other, with the touch that the Edge of U2 would be proud of. Guitars blur together to create an atmosphere of wonder. The other two tracks, "Under Water.. " and "Flow" have equal impact - and the entire record, all four songs of it, move like a musical on stage - dramatic and real. Great record. - earbuzz.com