Several years ago, I said that Rick Barry was the next Billy Bragg. I can still remember Steven Bumbera joking that I must have meant Rick would have a career filled with incredible songs that nobody would ever hear. Well, with the release of his latest EP, "This Antediluvian World", it's clear that he no longer wants to be just a big fish in the Asbury Park scene - he's ready for the world to hear him. And, he's ready to shed the Billy Bragg title once and for all.
I used to imagine Rick dragging his acoustic guitar from town to town, performing a mix of political tunes that would rack the audience's mind and shake their world as if he was a modern-day Woody Guthrie. It always seemed to me that his best shows were always done solo, but he kept plugging away with band after band. From the Mourning After to playing with the members of Days Awake and Paperback Radio to the New Rick Barry's and No Wine For Kittens; I guess Rick was not only determined to find a band that fit with him, but on a quest. A quest, which apparently has led to his latest effort. And, with great success, I might add.
"This Antediluvian World" straddles the line between Rick's solo acoustic work and his full blown band efforts. The mixture is something which sounds almost brand new me. As I first listened to the CD, I realized I needed to treat this as a new band - to imagine it was the work of an artist whose CD just landed in my mailbox - rather than judge it upon his past catalog. The songs have layers upon layers of instrumentation, backing vocals from artists like Val Emmich, Eryn Shewell, and Allie Moss, and even horns on one track! Yet, in the end, the songs still come down to the words from Mr. Barry; someone I still consider a once in a generation talent.
Maybe I won't ever get to see Rick become the next Woody Guthrie, but that's fine with me. This record shows him emerging as an artist comfortable in his own skin - something that I think he grappled with on his first record (rock and roll) and his second (pure folk). It's good to see him ready to take that next step. My only complaint with the disc is that I don't really hear that "hit single" which could help him break as an artist. All of the tunes are good, I just don't hear that one which is better than the rest.
Favorite tunes on the disc are "Richard, Please", "A Thousand Words", and "Atlantis". All total there are five new tunes and a brief instrumental. Production is fantastic - one of the best I've heard for a local band in quite some time. Highly recommended!
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
