Full album stream: Bobby Bare Jr.

"I got lucky enough to be invited up to the recording session for this record. There is only one Bobby Bare Jr.--and this is him at his finest." Jim James, My Morning Jacket

11 songs in 11 hours. That's what happened on March 26th, 2006. After wood-shedding for weeks with some of the most innovative musicians from a vibrant southeastern talent pool, Bobby and friends knocked out The Longest Meow in one arduous session that he calls "the most fun I have ever had with music in one day."

Joining Bobby at 12:32 pm that day in Nashville was a core band of guitarist Carl Broemel, drummer Patrick Hallahan (both of My Morning Jacket), and Mike Grimes on bass. Add to this contributions from Carey Kotsionis, Doni Schroader (...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead), Corey Younts, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Deanna Varagona (Lambchop), Ben Martin (Clem Snide) and producer Brad Jones. Add it all up and you've got a band of 11 that recorded 11 gelastic tracks in one 11-hour day.

At 10:47, they went home.

Disarmingly charming, foolishly romantic and unapologetically thunderous when needed, The Longest Meow lays bare (sorry about that) Bobby's willingness to do anything to get the girl, even if we all know it'll somehow end badly. From dynamic atmospherics and psychedelic melancholy to pulsing T. Rex glam boogie and down and dirty southern ROCK, Bobby fearlessly wears his heart on his stained and sweaty shirtsleeve. Check out how he'll even go all coffeehouse on a Pixies cover if he thinks it'll do the trick! (He did, after all, name check Black Francis in the song "Dig Down" on his debut Bloodshot CD and recently appeared on Frank Black's 2005 release, Honeycomb.)