The Way Of The World opens with its title track, which starts with these lines: “Sharks never stop swimming/Writers need a beginning/Cheaters never stop winning/That’s the way of the world.” That seems to be the case, doesn’t it? I’ve been trying lately to not focus on politics, but it is so difficult. Who would have thought even in his most cynical moments that a cheater could win his way to the highest political office in the land? “And the politician never stop grinning,” T Bear sings a little later in the song. And we know exactly why that is. Ah yes, but the rest of us have music on our side, and songs like this act as friends in the darkness. Ricky Cortez plays bass on this song. That’s followed by “Sign On The Dotted Line,” which has a strong and totally enjoyable rhythm. Ricky Cortez is on bass for this one too. “I should have known better when I signed on that dotted line/Hell, I should have known better when she crossed the line.”
“Before The Fall” has a delicious classic vibe, and it has me in its grasp from its opening moments. “When my eyes are open/A sea of rare emotion/I feel your breath on me/I’ve given you my key/Hanging onto dreams so dearly.” Teresa James joins him on backing vocals, and as always delivers some excellent work. This track also features some really nice stuff on electric guitar. Hutch Hutchinson plays bass on this track. This is one of my personal favorites. It was written by T Bear and Eva Marie Frederick. Then on “Jewel,” he creates a great, dark bluesy atmosphere, with a vocal performance and vibe that remind me a bit of certain Leon Russell material at the beginning. This track is fantastic, just dripping with cool, another of the disc’s highlights. “Come over here/The coast is clear/You can kiss me if you want.” That’s followed by “Walter Mitty’s Glasses,” an interesting song. I need to revisit that short story, “The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty,” for I have only vague recollections of it. This song has a soulful rhythm at the start, with some nice touches on guitar. “I’m afraid that you, you might melt away,” he sings, and then the rhythm changes, taking on a reggae flavor, a surprising turn that works quite well. Then the track returns to that more soulful sound. “In a crowded room you’re all that I can see/I dream that you always leave with me/It’s true, I met somebody new/And she’s almost you.”
“A Change Will Do Me Good” was released as the album’s first single, and it’s the song that got me excited about this release. It features some good percussion, with something of a Bo Diddley rhythm. “Same old food, the same old drive/I need more to feel alive.” Oh yes, a change would do many of us some good. Well, this song’s rhythm will provide a good start, get your body moving. There is a great energy to this track, and I dig that guitar lead. Plus, there is a brief drum and percussion section that I love. “The clocking is ticking and the time is fast/Looking to the future, won’t live in the past.” This song was written by T Bear and Laurence Juber. Then “Your Husband’s Got A Gun” has a great vibe right from the start with that wonderful rhythm. It will have you smiling right away, and then T Bear begins to tell us a story of someone who has been sleeping with a married woman. “As the sun sets down today, my troubles have just begun/I’m just killing time, not looking to get killed, having some fun/Because I’m running for my life and your husband’s got a gun.” But it’s such a playful tune, leading us to think this character is going to be fine. “Pray for me now,” he says before a cool instrumental section begins. And with those instruments working on his behalf, we are nearly certain he’ll be okay. Jon Woodhead plays guitar on this track.
“This Bird Has Flown” has a dreamier vibe as it begins. “She puts on her raincoat/Heads out the door/Runs down the alley/She’s done it before/But this time she’s leaving/This much I know.” Johnny Lee Schell joins T Bear on backing vocals. Josh Sklair plays guitar on this track, Belmont Tench plays organ, and Lee Thornberg plays both trombone and trumpet. Lee Thornberg’s work in particular gives this track a different feel from the others. That’s followed by “Breathe,” a mellow and beautiful number that feels like a friend you can turn to. You feel that in the first lines, “When you’re wondering who to call/When nighttime starts to fall/As the sky turns to rust/And it’s love me or bust/Just breathe/Just breathe.” I absolutely love this song. Isn’t this exactly the sort of song we need in these days of nearly constant tension? Stevie Blacke adds some beautiful work on strings, and this track contains some wonderful work on guitar. There is also a little nod to T Bear’s first album in the line “Whether it’s red hot, blue or lime.” And check out these lines: “I left my crystal ball at home/Wishing it would turn to stone/It’s never front page news/When there’s holes in your shoes/And not enough fingers to plug the holes/And life’s rushing in from every side/And you’re caught in life’s landslides/And you tried and you tried and you tried.” Wow. I love this song more and more each time I listen to it. It’s one of my favorites of the year.
T Bear changes gears then with “They Can Kill You,” which has a funky groove and features some great stuff from Paulie Cerra on saxophone and from Lee Thornberg on trumpet and trombone. This track gets us feeling loose, get us dancing, even as he tells us, “No matter who you are/No matter where you go/No matter what you do/’Cause they’re gonna get you, they’re gonna get you now/They, they can kill, they can kill you in so many ways.” Gia Ciambotti joins T Bear on backing vocals. Reggie McBride plays bass on this track, Mike Finnigan is on organ, and Josh Sklair is on guitar. This song was written by T Bear, Ned Albright and Tony Braunagel. That’s followed by “Dinner For One,” which has a delicious vibe, with some jazzy elements. I am especially fond of the work on keys. And what a compelling vocal performance. “Ceiling fans keeps me cool, but my mind seems to drift away/Outside the neon blinks from exhaustion/Screaming promises of what’s inside, but no one watching/Still, I cook this dinner for one.” This song is yet another of the album’s highlights, and contains some great stuff on guitar. “Dinner For One” was written by T Bear and Eva Marie Frederick.
“This is going to be a love to remember,” T Bear sings at the beginning of “True Romance.” And soon he tells us, “I believe in true romance.” Domenic Genova plays upright bass on this track. The album concludes with “Red Harvest,” which features some wonderful work by Ada Pasternak on violin. And Paul Rodgers joins T Bear on vocals on this one. (Yes, the singer for Bad Company.) It’s a powerful song, in support of Ukraine. It’s listed as a bonus track on the back of the CD case, possibly because it was released a couple of years ago. Can you believe that more than two years have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine? “A child said, Look mama a shooting star/Then it exploded in their car/Homes are burning and lives in tatters/Children die because their lives don’t matter/In the red, red harvest.”
CD Track List
- The Way Of The World
- Sign On The Dotted Line
- Before The Fall
- Jewel
- Walter Mitty’s Glasses
- A Change Will Do Me Good
- Your Husband’s Got A Gun
- This Bird Has Flown
- Breathe
- They Can Kill You
- Dinner For One
- True Romance
- Red Harvest
The Way Of The World was released on March 22, 2024 on Quarto Valley Records.
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