As Is Columbia AL 37157

Album Review by Donna Delaney    On this LP, Bobby Bare gets serious. Listeners will see a change in direction - a different selection of song types. After such novel songs as 'Ten' and 'Tequila Sheila' that may be hard to believe, but it's true. Bare even looks more serious on the album cover, dressed in jeans, jean jacket, and a cowboy hat styled by the Cripple Creek Hat Company.   Fans needn't worry however. There's no change in the voice. It's still very distinctively Bobby Bare. Though Bare is originally from the state of Ohio, he sings with that usual slow, slurred drawl, and the change in direction is a pleasant one.   The change may confuse listeners as to 'who' Bobby Bare really is, but he's the first to admit that he doesn't care. "That's actually what keeps me going" he confessed. "If they ever figure out what you're coming with next, it's all finished. Especially the establishment. If they can figure out what you're gonna do next, they'll just kinda file you away in a category. And that's it - you're over."   Bobby Bare is definitely not over as his 'As Is' album proves. One of my favorite cuts on the LP is 'New Cut Road' with toe tappin' fiddle by Ricky Skaggs. Other great selections are Bare's recent hits 'Learning To Live Again', 'Call Me The Breeze', 'Take Me As I Am (Or Let Me Go)', 'She's Gone', and 'White Freight Liner Blues.'