Whether you love him or hate him there is no denying that Jimmy Barnes is an Australian music industry icon. Double Happiness is an album that demonstrates Jimmy’s versatility and the talent of his family and friends. There is no denying it has been a long had road for Jimmy Barnes and I for one hope this is the start of bigger and better things. Some of the biggest names in music have recorded duets with Jimmy Barnes over the years, this album contains some of the old ones and some new ones too.
From the moment the first track Sit On My Knee starts with Jimmy’s trademark scream there is no doubt that he still has what it takes to record a hit song. Dallas Crane and Barnes seem to suit each other perfectly. After the guys decided not to record an AC/DC cover they settled on this song from Dallas Crane’s 24/7 album.Mahalia Barnes is Jimmy’s eldest daughter and she has obviously inherited some of her dad’s talent. Gonna Take Some Time has a definite soul feel to it, acoustic guitars and horns set the mood and Mahalia’s voice paint the picture. I would be surprised if she didn’t release her own album very soon. It seems that these days Mahalia influences Jimmy more than he influences her. Elly May Barnes’ sweet soft vocals could easily be mistaken for those of the Jackson 5 in this reworking of the unforgettable I’ll Be There. Originally intended to be a b-side it shows that the Tin Lids have come a long way. Eliza Jane Barnes teams up with her dad with Settle For Me. This is a sweet simple song that quite frankly would sound better if she had recorded it alone or perhaps with Roachford. Jackie Barnes steps out from behind the drums to record Same Woman with his dad, this another of the beautiful acoustic tracks on this very surprising album. Throw in a duet with Diesel and the family circle is complete. Got You As A Friend is a perfect song for these two old mates to share and it sums up the reason for this album. Jimmy describes his brother John Swan as the biggest influence on his life. Together they recorded What Will They Say. With Ian Moss on guitar this song about the healing process bring a true family feel to this album. Last but by no means last David Campbell who is the most famous of the Barnes clan joins Jimmy to sing Wichita Linesman. Although David is clearly more classically trained than Jimmy their tones are very similar and blend perfectly together.Roachford isn’t someone you would normally associate with Jimmy Barnes but a chance meeting saw them record Attention together. Described as one of the most soulful people Jimmy knows Roachford’s delicious vocals are a stark contrast to Jimmy’s raspy tones, somehow they seem to work together to create a catchy melodic song. Very unexpected is the best way to describe this one.Mica Paris is a star with the voice of an angel. Run is one of my favorite songs on this album. It displays Jimmy’s true talent as a singer and how he has managed to refine his sound since the early days with Cold Chisel. Helped by the velvety vocals of Mica it is hard to believe this is a Jimmy Barnes song.Out Of Time recorded with Tim Rogers is a reworking of an all time classic song. Originally written by Jagger and Richards this reincarnation show that it takes more than just good song writing to produce a hit.By far the stand out song this album is Resurrection Shuffle with The Living End. The unmistakable sound of band is simply awesome. Big bass, rockabilly drums and those rock guitars. Recorded in just two takes this is how rock was meant to be, energetic and raw. Another song recorded in this style is the classic Shout. “If we can’t do this live then we’re not worth a piece of shit” stated Billy Thorpe before recording this song. Apparently he was right, it only took two takes.A duet with Tina Harrod takes Jimmy back to his early days with Piece Of My Heart. Add to this some of Jimmy’s earlier duets with The Badloves, John Farnham, Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Smokey Dawson, INXS, Juanitta Tippins and Gary Pinto as well as new duets with Troy Casser-Daley, Bella and Rahsaan Patterson and you have one very interesting album.This is not an album for fans of Cold Chisel but fans of Jimmy’s earlier Soul Deep release will love it. I for one hope that the next album will be more rock as I do like his old stuff better than his new stuff.
