Tell Barney Bentall that it’s been four-and-half years in between the release of his previous solo album, The Drifter & The Preacher, and the new Cosmic Dreamer, and he light-heartedly replies: “Maybe I should work harder.” 

The veteran singer, songwriter and musician was hardly slacking off during that interval, however. He: spent quality time with his family; tended to his British Columbia ranch; performed shows; made the RanchWriters album with longtime friend and Spirit of the West member Geoffrey Kelly, and started work on its follow-up; and wrote and recorded Cosmic Dreamer during a pandemic, which forced him to do things in largely unfamiliar ways.