Heartland & Soul
Little Village Foundation
Mike Kappus notes he first was exposed to Kevin Burt as a judge for The Blues Foundation's 2018 International Blues Challenge where the Iowan won not only in the single/duo category. Kappus also notes Burt was the first artist in the Competition's 34-year history to sweep the solo categories — also winning the Solo/Duo Cigar Box Guitar Award for the most promising acoustic player and the Lee Oskar Harmonica Award. Once having to work five jobs (two full-time, three part-time) as a young adult in Iowa City after a football injury in his senior year of college derailed his dreams of professional football, he has become a significant new acoustic blues voice.
It is not like he just started playing the music. In 1996, the sesquicentennial both of Iowa and of the Smithsonian, Burt was chosen by the state of Iowa to participate in a project of the American Folklife Center. “I got the opportunity to be a living exhibition at the Smithsonian representing the state of Iowa as a blues artist, and part of my responsibility was to have an educational component, so that’s when I started doing my research to be able to give accurate historical stories for the state of Iowa from the perspective of a musician.” He has also become quite involved in Blues in the School.
I suspect this is his debut recording and Kid Andersen and Jim Pugh produced this CD which was recorded and mixed at Greaseland. Burt, who wrote 11 of the 12 songs, sings and plays acoustic guitar and harmonica. Andersen adds guitar and melodica (on one track), and Pugh keyboards. Others on this include Jerry Jemmott on bass, Derrick 'D'Mar' Martin on drums, Jon Otis on percussion and Lisa Leuschner Andersen on backing vocals.
Listening to Kevin Burt, one is reminded of Ted Hawkins, a similar acoustic singer-songwriter who had deep rhythm and blues roots. Whereas Hawkins displayed a strong Sam Cooke influence, Burt evokes Bill Withers with perhaps a dash of Al Jarreau. Withers is one of Burt's cited vocal influences along Aaron Neville, Bobby Bland, Luther Vandross, and Marvin Gaye. The song that perhaps is most suggestive vocally and stylistically of Withers' is "I Don't Want To See You No More," where he sings about finding a note on the door and not understand why she left him.
It is a varied program starting with the lively groove on the opening "Day Day" singing about he makes her whole body grins but she will miss him if she leaves more than he will miss her. The performance has a nice harmonica break with the percolating backing behind the singing. Then there is an austere cover of The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby," backed by his solo guitar, where his phrasing and other vocal dynamics stands out. Pugh's organ helps establish the mood for his expression of thanks for letting him be himself. The percolating groove of "Real Love" reminds me of the Doobie Brothers as he sings about a love they should hang on to and wants to share with nobody else with some rhythmic guitar and crying harmonica.
While the songs on this are more soul than blues, "Never" is a strong, evocative blues with Pugh's piano and Andersen's guitar standing out in the backing against Burt's passionate singing. Another blues has him playing slide and harp for the first verse of "Smack Dab in the Middle," an original and not the song associated with Count Basie and Joe Williams, where he sings about going to the Crossroads and not having done nobody wrong. While there is nothing wrong with the band backing and he has a nice harp break, this performance to these ears would have been stronger if it remained a solo performance. This is a small quibble on an impressive recording full of memorable performances. Kevin Burt shows himself to be an exceptional artist.
I received from my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the November-December 2018 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 381). Here is a clip of Kevin Burt performing "Eleanor Rigby," at the 218 International Blues Challenge finals.
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