Description
Nick Barker is one of Australia’s most-loved artists and one of its finest songwriters, having written songs with Paul Kelly, Jimmy Barnes, Mick Thomas, Tim Rogers and Felicity Urquhart. ‘Exoskeleton’ – which comes 35 years after Barker’s first single with the Reptiles – is his first solo album in 14 years, following two albums with The Heartache State.
It’s a collection of songs about people who have hard outer layers but are soft inside, love and loss, death and family, and scars that never heal. Yep, you need a tough shell to survive in this business. But not only has Nick Barker survived, he’s delivered one of the finest albums of his career.
Barker collaborated closely with his friend and producer Shane O’Mara on the album. Shane describes Nick as a unique musician with a distinctive style, emphasizing the remarkable qualities of the guitar and bass, featuring wandering, resilient bass lines and angular, sinewy guitar work. Nick’s straight-to-the-point vocals command attention and demand listeners’ full engagement.
The creative process was incredibly rewarding for Shane, as he found the songs to be deeply heartfelt, captivating, and constantly surprising in their musical composition. Barker praises Shane as an excellent producer who allowed him the freedom to express his musical vision fully.
