‘Pizza Box’ continues to make waves among the critics, with notable reviews in Rolling Stone, the New York Times, and All Music Guide. Below are some abbreviated quotes, click on the source for full review:

“Texas country rocker Danny Barnes likes to do wild things with his banjo…his seventh solo album, Pizza Box, is a collection of banjo-based songs set against big rock (“Road”), Memphis-style horns (“Sparta, TN”), barnstorming juke-joint blues (“Misty Swan”) and even a shuffling, hip-hop-style beat (“Sleep”). Barnes is a clever lyricist with a punk-rock past who understands the raw simplicity of a good country tune.”
-ROLLING STONE

“Playing the banjo puts roots in Danny Barnes’ roots-rock, and so does a fondness for country and blues structures in his songs…but his album “Pizza Box” (ATO) doesn’t backdate itself. Mr. Barnes, 47, tells contemporary tales that are wryly observant. Some songs hint at the Band, but Mr. Barnes also cranks up to feedback volume on the stomping “Road.” Behind his down-home magical realism is an underlying benevolence: In “Overdue,” he sings, “I’m learning to forgive you baby/Would you forgive me too?”
-NEW YORK TIMES

“Although Barnes is a banjo picker, on Pizza Box he bravely goes where no man has gone before – with the instrument, and with arrangements that borrow elements of hard rock, R&B, rap, electronica, and country music. His lyrics, as always, are full of snide humor and keen insight, and while he claims he’s not a masterful picker, his solo excursions on the banjo are full of unexpected twists and turns. Pizza Box is a long way from the punky bluegrass of the Bad Livers, and may be the best album Barnes has ever made.”
-ALL MUSIC GUIDE