Jimmy Barnes may not have followed in the footsteps of his forebears — his grandfather was a hardened, bare-knuckle boxer known as Pop Swan, and his father was featherweight boxing champion Jim Swan — but make no mistake: the man has the spirit of a fighter.
From a violent, traumatic childhood to drug and alcohol addiction and serious health scares, including open-heart surgery in 2023, Barnes has fought more arduous battles than most, but has always come back swinging when he’s seemingly down for the count.
At 69 years old and with 15 solo Number One albums in Australia (plus a further six with Cold Chisel), plus countless awards to his name, Barnes has nothing left to prove. You wouldn’t know it from his 21st solo album, the aptly titled DEFIANT, which sees the gravel-voiced Scottish-Australian legend sing like his life depends on it. Maybe it does.
Opener “That’s What You Do for Love” sets the tone straight out of the gate. It’s a spirited rocker that’s a little bit Springsteen, a little bit Stones, and a whole lotta Barnsey, a track about fighting for what you love — a recurring theme — that can go toe to toe with his best work.
Featuring Jason Bonham (son of Led Zeppelin’s John) on drums, guitarist Joe Bonamassa, Journey’s Jonathan Cain, and backing vocals from Mahalia Barnes, it’s such a classic, peak-form Jimmy Barnes song that it sets what seems to be an impossibly high standard: surely he can’t keep this up.
But keep it up he does.
“New Day” lands a punch with a killer chorus while Barnesy atones for past sins (“You’re not talking to the guy that I was back then/I’m a new man now, got myself back on track again”); then the impassioned “Beyond the River Bend” and “Never Stop Loving You”, both odes to his wife Jane, tug at the heartstrings (the bagpipes that come in at the end of the former are the perfect icing on the haggis).
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On an album full of potential singles, the country-tinged “The Long Road” seems like a sure-fire hit. Although a lot of country songs sound like tall tales embellished for the listener, when Barnes sings of being “a wild young man on a mission, money and fame and a few fine women” and “live or die, didn’t care anyway,” you know he’s singing from experience.
A few more Stones-style belters (“Damned If I Do, Damned If I Don’t”; “Dig Deep”) lead to doo-wop closer “Sea of Love”, which sees Barnes successfully back in his soul bag; like the majority of the album, it’s destined to become a live favourite.
Recorded in Nashville and Sydney, credit must go to the many talented people who helped make the album — longtime collaborator Kevin Shirley, Michael Paynter, who co-wrote many of the songs, and the many friends and family who appear — but it’s Barnes who impresses the most, a man back from the brink and singing better than ever, delivering one of the strongest LPs of his career.
“For better or worse, I’ve never liked to take a backward step,” says Barnes while talking about the album. DEFIANT finds him firmly on the front foot, fighting his way to another hard-won victory.
Stream: Jimmy Barnes, DEFIANT
This article features in the June-August 2025 issue of Rolling Stone AU/NZ. If you’re eager to get your hands on it, then now is the time to sign up for a subscription.
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