Barry Gibb - Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers' Songbook, Vol. 1 (2021) CD-Rip

Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers' Songbook, Vol. 1 may be a bit of a departure for Barry Gibb, who spent his career exploring the byways of pop music as a member of the Bee Gees, but it fits into a long line of albums where a pop star revisits his catalog through the prism of country music. Assisting Gibb in this journey is Dave Cobb, one of the premier producers in Nashville in the 2010s. Cobb's strength as a producer is helping an artist articulate their essence, a trick he pulls off again on Greenfields by keeping the focus directly on the song. Nothing here is too lavish, the star cameos can sometimes draw the focus away from Gibb himself -- Dolly Parton dominates "Words," Jason Isbell grounds "Words of a Fool" -- yet that only directs attention to how sturdy and enduring the songbook he crafted with his brothers is. While this also means Greenfields doesn't provide any surprises or revelations, the album's mellow vibe is engaging enough for that not to matter. This is a relaxed, generous affair, an album where the featured star and his guests defer not just to each other but to the songs they are singing.