New Jersey Stage 2015 - Issue 9 | Page 8

Dion, and Bob Dylan. Songs which were likely all written within a 5 blocks of where Barone has lived since the mid-1980s. He’s joined on the record by several guests including John Sebastian, Dion, Nellie McKay, and Alison Moorer. Mitchell Cohen, a long-time music critic and A&R executive (Arista, Columbia, and Verve) suggested the concept of the album to Barone and is working with him on selecting the material. Steve Addabbo (who has worked as a producer, engineer, and musician on albums by Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, and Eric Andersen) is producing the record. Barone believes this was a pivotal period for songwriters; one in which artists began singing songs that they wrote about their own lives and situations. “It was so direct,” said Barone. “That was a new thing then. Now we just take it for granted when you hear a song on the ra- Watch Richard Barone Talk About The Album NewJerseyStage.com 2015 - ISSUE 9 8