On his second album, Leave the Light On, Jeff Bates remains an appealing singer, blessed with a smooth, deep baritone that gives his music an earthiness even when it gets a little bit sappy. But if his 2003 debut, Rainbow Man, leaned heavily on love songs, this 2006 effort is a leaner, straight-ahead traditionalist country record. Each cut has a bit of grit in it, whether it's on the rollicking, twangy "Good People," George Jones-styled barroom weepers like "The Woman He Walked On," or even a cover of Billy "Crash" Craddock's early-'70s hit "Rub It In," a greasy slice of Southern soul 'n' country that for most 2006 listeners will unfortunately bring to mind Glade's Plug It In, Plug It In campaign of the '90s, yet it's a testament to Bates' strengths as a vocalist that he makes this song work despite that association. Not that he pulls off every song here -- the opening cut (and lead single) "Long Slow Kisses" stumbles in its attempts at seduction, while the closer, "Mama Was a Lot Like Jesus," is unbearably heavy-handed and mawkish -- but even when the songs don't work, Bates and his studio band sound good, helping to make Leave the Light On a strong sophomore release from this skilled singer.
Jeff Bates
Leave the Light On
Add to Custom List
Add to My Collection
Share on
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Track Listing
Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jeff Bates | 03:10 | ||||
2 | Jeff Bates | 03:05 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
3 | Jeff Bates | 03:02 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
4 | Jeff Bates | 02:50 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
5 | Jeff Bates | 03:28 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
6 | Jeff Bates | 03:59 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
7 | Jeff Bates | 03:05 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
8 | Jeff Bates | 03:44 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
9 |
|
Jeff Bates | 03:05 | SpotifyAmazon | ||
10 | Jeff Bates | 03:55 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
11 | Jeff Bates | 03:05 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
12 | Jeff Bates | 03:30 | SpotifyAmazon |