Rainbow Man

Personnel includes: Jeff Bates (vocals, guitar); Larry Beaird, B. James Lowry, John D. Willis (acoustic guitar); David Grisson, Jeff King, Troy Lancaster, Michael Landau, Jimmy Yeary (electric guitar); Mike Brignardello, Kevin Grantt, Glenn Worf (bass); Lonnie Wilson (drums, tambourine); Eric Darken (percussion).
Producers: Kenny Beard, Scott Hendricks, David Malloy.
In the late '90s and early '00s, the country charts saw a rash of successful artists who celebrated their urban and suburban backgrounds. Bucking the trend and recalling the proudly hillbilly legends of years past, Jeff Bates is possessed of a biography seemingly tailor-made to inspire classic country music. The rural Mississippi-bred singer, whose deep, rich baritone often sounds like a wedding of the vocal styles and timbres of George Jones, Charlie Rich, and Tony Joe White, has suffered though abandonment, divorce, prison, racial prejudice (Bates is of mixed heritage), and drug addiction.
Luckily, Bates has been able to turn all his misfortune into autobiographical songs that resonate with a welcome directness and obvious sincerity. However interesting his lyrics may be, his ace in the hole is his voice, the sheer power and resonance of which easily stand toe to toe with the golden pipes of stylistically similar superstars like Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, and Travis Tritt. Matched with a tasteful mix of old- and new-school production values, that voice makes RAINBOW MAN a significant addition to the new traditionalist canon.