And the Horse You Rode in On

Ray Barnard

Note: this album will be released February 26, 2025 at the 331 Club in Minneapolis, and March 9, 2025 at the Dubliner Pub in St. Paul.

And The Horse You Rode In On is my fifth solo LP. It is a fusion of reggae, roots, and soul grooves. Whereas my last LP, Radicalized, was more experimental, this one is nuts and bolts, meat & potatoes – the rhythm tracks were all cut live (at Jeremy Johnson & Greg Schutte’s studios). Overdubs were minimal ( cut at my home studio). I wrote, arranged, and produced it myself – with some help writing the songs.

Thematically, it’s a lot about the love/hate relationship I have with the city I work in (excepting Frogtown, the least pretentious neighborhood I know). Some say I suffer from small fish/big pond syndrome. I call it ‘casting pearls before swine’ syndrome. Suffice it to say I worked very hard on this LP & I’m proud of it. The rhythm section is 2nd to none and the songs are too, dammit!

ATHYRIO leads off with Scufflin’ – the protagonist is stuck in self-preservation mode, beset by injustice and indignity all around. But he learns misery always has company. Said I Wouldn’t Do It makes big talk about change sound more fun than actually doing it. What’s In A Picture questions our use of phone videos and social media to determine truth & justice.

And Greenlight is a straight up country-soul love song, the ‘she makes my life real good’ kind.

  1. Scufflin
  2. What’s in a Picture
  3. Home in Your Heart
  4. Said I Wouldn’t Do It
  5. Pistol Pete
  6. Gone Again
  7. L.A. Hangover feat. Jimmy Witherspoon Jr.
  8. Closer to God
  9. Will 2 Be Wild
  10. Greenlight feat. Clark Adams

Musicians

  • Drums: Greg Schutte, Jordan Carlson
  • Guitar: Blair Krivanek, Jeremy Johnson, Erik Koskinen, Ray
  • Bass: Nick Salisbury, Ray
  • Wurlitzer, B3, piano: Ray
  • Horns: Bill Davis, Ray
  • Singers: Ray, Clark Adams, James Witherspoon Jr., Bridgette Kelly
  • Guiro, tambourine, conga: Ramon M. Benitez

Credits

  • All songs written by Ray Barnard. Some with:
    Graham Bramblett, JJ Longmuir, Eric Foss, and Clark Adams
    Pistol Pete – Ray, Jeremy Johnson, Nick Salisbury, and Greg Schutte
    Will 2 B Wild – Ray, Blair Krivanek, Marc Johnson-Pencook, Nick Salisbury, and Greg Schutte
  • Recorded at: 706 VB, Barking Jack, and Bathtub Shrine studios
  • Mixing: all songs by Ray except: Scufflin’– Erik Koskinen. Greenlight – Jeremy Johnson
  • Mastering: Bruce Templeton
Bartered Soul Records

2025
Bartered Soul

all albums
Ray Barnard Radicalized
when the sun goes down - ray barnard
Where Would I Be Without You - Ray Barnard
Tinted Windows To the Soul - Ray Barnard & The Reverberation
The Copperheads - Cold Mississippi
The Copperheads - This Train is Gainin'