Mike Barnett originally envisioned his 2020 release, +1, as a purely duets project. But there were several tracks that Barnett knew would hold up to a full band approach—and thus 3+ was born.
On this special EP edition, Barnett rounds out three of the album’s tracks with some of his favorite musicians, including Punch Brothers Noam Pikelny on banjo, Chris Eldridge on guitar and Paul Kowert on bass. In Barnett’s tongue-in-cheek view: “Not your typical pick-up band, but I guess it’ll do.”
The bluegrass burner “Born To Be With You,” is transformed with the contributions of Pikelny’s unparalleled banjo chops alongside Barnett’s and Molly Tuttle‘s duet vocals. “Anna Marie”, with Sierra Hull’s intricate mandolin and crystalline vocals, showcases Barnett’s exquisitely lyrical playing. Rounding out the set is the sublime “Hollow City,” featuring Sarah Jarosz on lead vocals and Billy Contreras on twin fiddle, a track that Barnett calls a personal favorite.