Review: Kevin Burt – This Trip

A guitar, a harmonica (okay, a harp), a solid singing voice—that’s all it takes to perform the most classic of all 12-bar blues. On *This Trip*, Kevin Burt does exactly that: On his fourth album, the American doesn’t play with a band, but keeps things stripped down to the bare minimum—no bass, no drums, no horns; he serves up his latest eleven tracks simply and purely.

Intimacy and honesty—that’s what *This Trip* is all about. And the album certainly delivers: Kevin Burt plays and sings clearly, tangibly, and authentically about what makes everyday life worthy of the blues. “You Gone,” “Ancestors’ Tears,” “Big Love,” “I’ll Stand Up”—these are familiar titles for all those moments in life that call for one lament or another. And this is what the blues thrives on, after all—the music of pain for the everyday Don Quixotes.

Now one might object that Burt hails from Iowa in the Midwestern United States, whereas Mississippi in the Southwestern United States is the cradle of the blues. And the two states don’t even share a border with any other state, maintaining a distance of at least two states between them. But that doesn’t matter.

The songs are shaped by experiences, the label notes, and if you listen closely, you’ll find many clues pointing to lived experiences. “Darling, sometimes you drive me crazy” is by far the most harmless observation. When “Round & Around” says, “This kind of thing / we don’t want to see now,” it’s already getting much closer to the mark.

Musically, the interpretation of what the blues is all about is laid-back but not superficial. “Home Goin’ Time” could easily come straight out of a textbook for blues purists, and “You Can’t Hold Me Down” from a songbook for gospel fans, while “Your Smile” fits comfortably into the singer-songwriter category.

So Burt takes an accessible approach on his fourth album, which is also mixed in a very authentic and approachable way. The voice takes center stage, tangibly present, with the guitars—sometimes acoustic, sometimes electric—just in front of it. And the harmonica is right where the voice just was. It’s like a small stage in the listening room, placed directly in front of the armchair and thus perfectly integrated into the spectrum of enjoyment offered by domestic music.

With *This Trip*, Kevin Burt has delivered a refined and excellent blues album that will appeal not only to purists and connoisseurs. The reason: It’s simply a success in every way. (Thomas Semmler, HighResMac)

Kevin Burt, vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica