Bark – Year of the Dog

Tim Lee 3 has been a favorite of mine over the last few years. Half Neil Young & Crazy Horse and half X, their unique sound translated extremely well to vinyl and stage.  With Year of the Dog, Tim Lee and Susan Bauer Lee peel back the layers to give us just the naked songs.

Gone are the chiming guitars and exquisite feedback. In it’s place, we get raw honesty. It’s a Helluva risk, if you think about it. And while the bass dependent nature of the recording may take some getting used to (at least for this long time fan, it did), it also provides some insight into the creative process.

Other than a retake on 33 1/3’s “Our Lady of the Highway”, Tim and Susan give us a completely new experience here. There’s the stripped down, blues inspired “Gator Lake Road”. Similarly, “Half Assed Blues” is a fantastic bit of R&B that would have been a hit for Dr. Feelgood back in the day. At times, Tim Lee’s inflections even sound a little bit like Lee Brilleaux. The Chuck Berry style shuffle “It’s Your Grave” is another highlight.

While at first I missed the guitars, I have to admit. I really enjoy this record. One simply must give Tim Lee and Susan Bauer Lee all the credit in the world for putting themselves out there, buck naked as it were. Get this one at Bark’s Bandcamp page.