Musically Barometer Soup won't be a huge surprise to.. well, anyone. You've heard this stuff before. Steel drums, tropical melodies, motifs that conjure pictures of beaches, boats and fruity drinks with those annoyingly cute little umbrellas in them. Read any of the other Buffett reviews on the site and you'll see all the same things. So then, no big changes.. and of course there are some silly moments. The seven-deadly-sins bridge in "Bank of Bad Habits." The chorus of "Don-Chu Know." "Jimmy Dreams" can't help seeming a little self-indulgent, but it can be charming in its own way. Ah, but there are some great highlights as well: the wistful "Barefoot Children," the singalong title track, and especially the kicking cover of "Mexico" (check the reworked intro, which is simply marvelous). It's these moments that raise this album a little above the level of, say, Fruitcakes. For a consistently strong album you can try one of the live releases (if you don't mind still more versons of "Volcano" and "Margaritaville.") Among Jimmy's 'regular' albums, close to 40 strong by now, there are a few that stand out from the others: Changes in Latitudes, One Particular Harbour.. and make sure not to miss Barometer Soup.


Factual fictions, fictional facts   December 7, 2000
Beau Yarbrough (Hesperia, CA)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

I'll add my voice to the chorus of praise here for this album -- "Barometer Soup" is the best of modern Buffett, hands down.

But the reason why, in my opinion, hasn't been stated yet: This time around, Jimmy is writing and recording songs inspired by the works of artists inspired by Key West. We get a bit of Mark Twain, a bit of Ernest Hemingway, a bit of Carl Hiassen, and a sprinkling of others. "Barometer Soup" marks a return to Jimmy's storytelling songs, which have dwindled in recent years. His cover of "Mexico" may be what got (some) radio airplay, but it's songs like "Remittance Man" and "Ballad of Skip Wiley" that will stick with you.

("Ballad of Skip Wiley," incidentally, got me to check out the books of Carl Hiassen, whom I learned about from the liner notes. No Buffett fan should pass up checking out Hiassen's work, which is sharp, funny and very in tune with Parrothead thinking. Great stuff.)

The songs, while almost all stories, range in tone from wistful and romantic to high-spirited fun. You'll find yourself singing along with the album and, as I did, cracking a book or two to see what inspired the men who inspired the man who inspired the Parrotheads.

"Barometer Soup" is one of Jimmy's best.


A Must-Have !   September 6, 1999
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

In the harbor of Avalon, in the early evening, you can hear the faint music of Jimmy Buffett floating through and around the boats. In most cases, the music tends to come from this CD. Barometer Soup, Lage Nom Ai, Don't Chu-Know, and Mexico are popular dancing tunes here. Thank you Jimmy, for so adequately portraying the island life in your music.


The Journey Continues for All Of Us....   October 12, 2000
Lance G. Rigley (Brisbane, Queensland Australia)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I have long ago given up wondering why I like Jimmy Buffett's music so much..I just do.It was Changes in Attitudes Changes In Latitudes that hooked me,and I have sailed with Jimmy ever since.This would possibly be one of the handful of CDs he has released that I would recommend that you start your journey with.It is a combination of the pre and post Parrot Head mania with a relaxed and mature combination of that trademark storytelling and that confidence that comes with experience and that Peter Pan rebellious nature that critics and the music industry can't and will never fathom and the fans and the devotees love.It has a warm and friendly feel,inviting and always humourous.From the opening strains of *Barometer Soup* the music is immediately accessible and familiar.I personally consider *Remittance Man* as one of Jimmy's greatest,but that may be a futile suggestion as everybody has their own.It has that haunting flavour of loss and longing and the harmonica of Greg *Fingers* Taylor is exquiste.It made me go out and read *Following The Equator* by Mark Twain..it is the magic of Jimmy that any fan will attest to,he has you living life to the fullest with every CD and thinking the *Weather is Here I wish you Were Beautiful*.

It is hard to review to the uninitiated because the state of mind that Jimmy creates makes a normal review impossible.You have to feel for this music.If you are 60 you will love it for certain reasons,if you are 15 you will love it for completely different reasons..if you love lyric melody imagery and fun this is the artist for you.

I recommend that you have a Corona by your side,and adventure in your heart when listening to this one.I recommend Blue heaven Rendezvous,for all of us *experienced with lifers* and then you enjoy the sheer joy of Lage Nom Ai and Dont Chu-Know and Mexico,and unashamedly tap your feet.

The appeal of Jimmy has flowed from me to my children,who count *The Night I Painted The Sky* as one of their favourites,and so do I for that matter.What is a great song?Who is a great artist?..the questions of life..I will have no hesitation in recommending this CD to the uninitiated as a must have to start your Jimmy Buffett journey,...read the cover notes,expand your appreciation of life and then head back down A1A and collect some of the gems that were produced by Jimmy over the last 30 years or so......enjoy and Find your own One Particular Harbour. As if it really matters...5 stars and lick sip suck...cheers.


Mark Twain's recipe   January 22, 2008
Cindy Lovell (Hannibal, Missouri)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Diehard Buffett fans don't need another review to tell them why to buy this excellent CD, nor do new Buffett fans. Besides being an excellent musical offering, Jimmy Buffett once again shows how well-read and well-traveled he is. Good liner notes are essential to the critical listener that loves to learn "the story behind the story." In his liner notes for the song "Barometer Soup" Jimmy wrote, "The term Barometer Soup was first mentioned to me by Herman Wouk, a gentleman who has plowed a few seas himself." Now, if you've read Wouk's Don't Stop the Carnival: A Novel, (which inspired a musical masterpiece by Buffett Don't Stop The Carnival [ENHANCED CD]), you'll know that Wouk not only plows seas but writes a mighty tale. And it is my secret hope that Wouk first encountered this phrase from our own Mark Twain. In Twain's A Tramp Abroad the author takes us along on a memorable excursion through Europe in the 1870s. And in chapter 38 he gives us the recipe for barometer soup. Here is an excerpt: "I hunted up another barometer; it was new and perfect. I boiled it half an hour in a pot of bean soup which the cooks were making. The result was unexpected: the instrument was not affected at all, but there was such a strong barometer taste to the soup that the head cook, who was a most conscientious person, changed its name in the bill of fare. The dish was so greatly liked by all, that I ordered the cook to have barometer soup every day." Now, to read the rest of that story you have only to read the book. This is not the only connection (round-about as it may be) to Mr. Twain. "Barefoot Children" conjures up the boyhood days of Sam Clemens for the imaginative listener...

"Keep your raft from the riverboat,
Fiction over fact always has my vote,
And wrinkles only go where the smiles have been..."

Now, the first two lines are obvious. The third line is a beautiful paraphrase of Twain's quote, "Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been." Continue on to Track 4, "Remittance Man." Jimmy's liner notes describe first meeting the RM in Twain's Following the Equator: A Journey Around the World (Dover Books on Travel, Adventure). This sad, soulful tale was inspired by about two pages from the 712 page book and shows again what a creative reader and writer is Jimmy Buffett. Buffett's liner notes provide important context for those who love the stories as much as the melody. Whether the author is F. Scott Fitzgerald or Buffett himself (yes, his books are as good as his music), Buffett makes the connection memorable. "Jimmy Dreams" speaks to the child in all of us and becomes a fast favorite. "Lage Nom Ai" harkens back to the spirit of "Somewhere Over China" and "The Night I Painted the Sky" is a more mystical and haunting descendant of "The Weather is Here, Wish You Were Beautiful" in an escapist-kind of way. It's fun making connections to Buffett's other work, but don't think for a minute that there is any repetition going on (with the exception of his stunning remake of James Taylor's "Mexico"). This CD is a gem. It is a "Diamond as Big as the Ritz."