Providing an auditory feeling of deja vu is the distinctly loose sound of the production. Sometimes the harmonies wander a tad off perfection, the rhythm section is not always absolutely tight, there's a piano, the instrument, that is, that is slightly out of tune, and the mix and engineering are a somewhat quirky all in a manner that brings back memories of albums from the Sixties where technical perfection was much rarer. And like some the better albums of old, that lack of perfection was overcome by the interesting and appealing music, and indeed the musical personalities of the performers. Hank Dogs certainly do bring a distinctive character to their music. Though the bulk of the album comes from the main trio, there are other musical guests from a cellist to a trumpet player.
Acoustic guitars remain at the center of the sound, with some nice fingerpicking to be heard.
This generous 15-track CD begins with Lucky Break a piece which sums up the Hank Dogs sound, with its bouncy and folky waltz beat, and the airy vocals with a hint of looseness. On the other hand, one of the darker pieces of writing is the following track 18 Dogs perhaps inspired by the survivalists who hole themselves up in a compound somewhere. Also rather unconventional is the title piece, Bareback , which is given a Spanish sound with its trumpet and hints of flamenco but whose lyrics are an unusual tale ostensibly about prostitution from the standpoint of the courtesan. A song which could have something to do with the complicated familial relationships within this group is Daddy's Arms . The vocal is apparently done by the younger member of the group, Lily the daughter and stepdaughter.