Barry Gibb: Greenfields

At first, the idea of Barry Gibb releasing a country album seems odd. Greenfields is certainly a record with a peculiar vibe. Bee Gees were famous for their ability across a variety of genres. From baroque pop to disco.

They recorded songs with country flavours. Cucumber Castle from the 1970s is largely among their least beloved albums. Certainly, it doesn't rank among their big hits. Even the 1983 collaboration with Kenny Rogers on Eyes That See in the Dark tends to sound more pop.

Gibb recorded Greenfields in Nashville with Dave Cobb, a producer known for his work with Jason Isbell, as well as a range of other artists.

Sometimes you feel that Gibb is climbing into dusty corners for material that might fit better into another genre than the one we're used to hearing from him. 

He has recorded songs with country flavours before, further back too

'Rest Your Love on Me' has been resurrected from the B-side of 'Too Much Heaven'. Likewise, 'Words of a Fool' was revived from an unreleased demo from the mid-'80s. The whole project is a production that dates back to their pre-fame years in Australia.

And yet, you understand why Gibb might be willing to take on the effort. The sheer star power of Nashville in the supporting cast underscores the standing the Gibb brothers hold among their fellow musicians. All the artists who took part, from Keith Urban and Alison Krauss to Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, bear this out. If the Bee Gees' stock is higher than it was a few decades ago, it still isn't as high as it ought to be.

The sheer star power of Nashville in the supporting cast underscores the standing the Gibb brothers hold among their fellow musicians

To call him one of the greatest songwriters of their era is, in fact, accurate. It still feels oddly far-fetched. You'll never see Odessa or Main Course or the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack on lists of the 100 greatest albums of all time. It's a state of affairs not helped much by the fact that recent coverage of their work comes from the pop end of the spectrum. The fact suggests that the disco end of the pop spectrum is where the Bee Gees' influence finds the most buyers.

To call him one of the greatest songwriters of their era is, in fact, accurate

There's a wish to revive their biggest hits. The take on Jive Talkin with Miranda Lambert and Jay Buchanan isn't the best possible one. The slow tempo robs the song of its euphoria. Krauss's beautiful, stripped-down version of Too Much Heaven is a perfect example. Casting the song's melodic richness in new light. Similarly, the revisiting of Run to Me features vocals from Carlile that are far tougher and more determined.

There's a wish to revive their biggest hits

These versions could have strayed even further from the originals. In the past, Bee Gees songs have proven capable of travelling through time unscathed. The 1967 'Love Somebody' is probably the only song in history to have been covered by Nina Simone, Tom Jones, Joe Strummer, Gram Parsons and Lee "Scratch" Perry. The covers here turn out gentle and often beautiful, led by piano or acoustic guitar. 

Keith Urban's version of "I Gotta Get a Message to You" is a delight. It has, however, a verse about a condemned killer facing his death sentence. We shouldn't forget it's a song that would fit right into a splendid country record. As mentioned, Butterfly is a far better song than his previous dark one. Proof that Barry Gibb's songwriting ability was remarkably formed before he even went back to Britain. The take assisted by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings is wonderful.

The title of this new album is Volume 1. It suggests, then, that Greenfields represents something more than a one-off experiment.

Greenfields is certainly a record worth our attention. And not just for Barry Gibb's odd turn.