1 Candy Man (Reverend Gary Davis)
2 I Could Dance All Night to the Blues (Bartley)
3 Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair (George Brooks)
4 I Fall Up (Ed White)
5 Who Do You Love? (Ellas McDaniel aka Bo Diddley)
6 Moonrise (Bartley)
7 Play the Cards the Way They Lie (Bartley)
8 Bozos on the Road No. 2 (Bartley)
9 Lemonade Redux (Bartley)
10 The Song of Imaginary Gifts (Bartley)
11 Raleigh and Spencer (traditional)
12 Moonset (Bartley)
13 Backwater Blues (p.d., Ma Rainey/Lightnin' Hopkins)
14 God Bless the Grass (Malvina Reynolds)
15 Central Square (Tom Paxton)
16 Redemption (Bartley)
17 Open Any Door (Bartley)

“Geoff Bartley is more than just a poetic and powerful songwriter; more than just a great bluesman and fingerpicking guitar whiz. You ‘just gotta be there’ at a Geoff Bartley concert to experience for yourself who Geoff Bartley really is.” ~ Ed Brown, U ‘n’ I Coffeehouse, Springfield, MA

“Bartley is noted for his poetic original material with a bluesy bent. He has a fine command of traditional blues guitar styles and a broad repertoire... beautifully melded Ray Charles, John Martyn and Chuck Berry influences into a cohesive personal vision.” ~ Steve Morse & Jeff McLaughlin, The Boston Globe<

Geoff writes: BLACKBIRDS IN THE PIE is a collection of seventeen songs recorded over the summer of 2008. I made up nine (four are instrumentals), seven are songs by others including Tom Paxton's "Central Square" and Malvina Reynolds' "God Bless the Grass" plus one I adapted and arranged from a recording by Lightnin' Hopkins with some lyrics taken from an earlier recording by Ma Rainey plus some I made up and added. The overall tone of the CD is bluesy and there are more humorous bits... and more surprises... than on earlier recordings. Productions are generally sparse and are layered under my acoustic guitar parts played fingerstyle, with a slide and flatpicked. Players include me; acoustic, resonator, high-string, electric & electric bass guitars, drum machine, harmonica, kalimba, ocarina, cymbal and "vocals", reed master Billy Novick; clarinet on "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair" and roots blues singer & guitarist Paul Rishell; pedal steel guitar on "I Fall Up".
"
Geoff, I've been listening to your new CD "Blackbirds in the Pie" and loving it. I am floored by your fingerstyle playing. Your lyrics are brilliant, especially The Song of Imaginary Gifts. It's the warmest expression of goodwill I've ever heard in song." ~ Michael Bean