I will start off by saying in the clearest possible terms, this is an absolutely class record. So many times, with new releases, especially in the current environment where there are a lot of artists plying an acoustic songwriter trade, certain names are mentioned regularly as influences that instantly raise the level of expectations impossibly high. Writers like Fred Neil, Bob Dylan, Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen may well have in part or wholly been purveyors of acoustic songwriting but they were so much more than mere unplugged three chords and strum merchants. They built skyscrapers in song; they populated cities with their writing and painted the most vivid of panoramas within their music. They were all on another level and frustratingly, aligning yourself to them simply because your main audio tool is an acoustic guitar does not instantly put you on the same level. There was a spirit to their writing, a soul and a beating heart, real emotion was stitched into those treble and bass clef bars of music and even beyond that, when they went into the recording studio each of them, not to mention their many peers, set out to capture something elusive, to create some magic. So, when I am told that an artist is channelling these legends, or numerous others be they Neil Young, Joni Mitchell or Bert Jansch and beyond, I am not instantly expecting something on a par with that work. But then again, occasionally you chance upon an album like this, ‘Fairweather Friend’ by Sam Burton, and immediately all those pre-stated influences not only make sense, but they are entirely valid.
This is an album wrapped in the strongest possible echoes of the various artists it wears on its sleeve as influences, but it does so by observing the disciplines they undertook in order to make those records in the first place. For starters, Sam in previous years emerged from touring with a band and began to concentrate more on solo performance, part of which saw him focusing on elevating his guitar technique. This can be heard in every track, where the playing is always expressive, dexterous and never falls back on lazy short cuts or cliché. It can also be heard in the way his supporting cast of musicians are vibing off the songs, an effect presumably realised because Sam’s preferred method in the studio is to play live, an approach rarely adopted in studios amidst the quest for isolated audio perfection across each instrument. But then there are the songs themselves, all of which carry the weight of real-life struggles and relationships, be they new or fading away. Immersing yourself in these tracks, it is not surprising to learn that the gestation period for the album was beset with trauma, anxiety and guilt. There had been a bad road accident with the band Sam was touring with during and post-pandemic and, even though he was driving the crash was not his fault, but this did not stop him from feeling responsible all the same. So, when relations began to change and the project ended, and after the bandmates had supported each other in recovering, Sam chose to throw himself into the creative period that has now brought us here, to the incredible work that is this new album.
The title track is a bit of a landmark for Sam as it is the first track he put on a record he produced himself, on top of that he cut it with members of the band who survived the crash with him. It is a gently melancholy piece, what sounds like a wistful flute part doing some heavy melodic lifting aside the lyrics which reflect on how some things are not meant to last while finding comfort in the presence of loved ones. ‘I’m A Stranger’ was justifiably released as a single prior to the album, here again Burton shows incredible range with the slow elevation of each verse before we return and take these infectious changes around again. ‘After Days Slip Away’ is an incredible piece, still mellow and laid back but it accentuates how much of a band album this actually is, every instrument from the brushed drum strokes, bright piano touches, the country twang of the electric guitar and the sensual wash of the slide notes all contribute to a piece of music as lush as anything found on the Elektra label circa 1966. And for all the talk of instrumentation and playing, I should not let the singing pass uncommented; some of the vocal performances Sam lays down, especially on the heartfelt ‘Tomorrow Takes A Dream To Find,’ are worthy of heavyweight comparisons of their own, a hint of Roy Orbison here and a suggestion of Scott Walker there without ever really sounding like anyone other than himself. The slower numbers like ‘Lilac Man’ really shine a light on the deep sonic tapestry that houses these songs and to add further kudos to Sam’s production decisions, there is no discernible difference between the songs he produced and those captured by the esteemed ear of Jonathan Wilson. In the end what we have is a masterful troubadour’s album that applies key time-honoured elements to create a record crafted to the highest possible standard for today.
Danny Neill
Get yourself a copy of Sam Burton’s ‘Fairweather Friend’ via this link: https://samburton.bandcamp.com/music
