Album review: Doug Burr’s The Shawl

by Bill Holston

Doug Burr’s newest offering, The Shawl is an outstanding achievement from of our the finest artists in our area. More than once, I’ve seen a noisy bar come to a dead silence in order to listen to this young man’s music. It simply demands attention. This is because his lyrics are honest and probing. It’s clear to see, he believes what he is singing. His first album, The Sickle and the Sheaves, had the voice of the revival preacher. His sophomore effort, On Promenade continued in the direction of thoughtful words set to memorable melodic tunes. Yet, beneath the surface there was a sense of menace and grief. In "Graniteville," Burr sings of death in sleep during a chemical spill from an overturned tanker. Other songs contain the words of letters exchanged between the Van Gogh Brothers. Burr has finally begun to get some much deserved attention. Paste Magazine named him as one of their “Four to Watch.”

The Shawl consists of nine tracks taken from the book of the Psalms. The music is spare, but attention grabbing. Layers of pedal steel, banjo, Wurlitzer hang on top of the ancient words of the Psalms. Like a shot of Irish Whiskey, the music should be savored, not consumed quickly. Like the whiskey, the music soothes as it burns. Burr takes his lyrics from some lesser-known Psalms. The Psalms were written for a project like this. The emotions run the gamut from despair (Psalm 6, “I am weary with my sighing”) and hopeful (Psalm 91, “You will not be afraid of the terror by night”) to frightening (Psalm 11, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”). The Psalmists are writing from doubt, despair, fear, anguish, but also hopefulness and peace. They are intended as emotional cries of the heart.

It’s possible that some will be deterred from buying this CD by the religious source of the material. That would be a mistake, because while the lyrics are biblical, they consist of such honest emotion that anyone should be affected by the music. Like Johnny Cash or Buddy Miller, the religious nature of the lyrics are transcended by the honest emotion and integrity of the musical composition. The album features Burr’s stark and plaintiff voice, but he’s backed by a cast of top notch performers:

Glen Farris’ electric guitar and Wurlitzer; Todd Pertl’s pedal steel; Steve Collins on Baritone guitar and Mando guitar; Joel Dennis on Bass; Dave Sims on electric guitar; Mark Moncrieff on fiddle and Todd Unruh (Cowboys and Indians) on percussion.

The instruments drift like mists across the songs, moody, beautiful and layered.

The highlight of the album, however is the triumphant Psalm 58. The song ends with a chorus, sung by a small choir, which features several of the musicians and adds Emil Rapstein and Chelsea Callahan. You will want to turn the volume up on this one.

Like Arcade Fire or Cowboy Junkies, the location of the recording is an integral part of the album. Burr recorded this album over a 27-hour period at the Texas Hall in Tehuacana, Tx. The photos of the recording session reflect what a unique experience this must have been for the artists.

This is a CD that you’ll enjoy more each time you listen to it. Its subtlety requires several listens. Buy one, and while you’re at it, buy one for a friend. They’ll thank you for it. The CD release is scheduled at the Sons of Hermann Hall on January 17.

This article was submitted by a member of the Pegasus News community.