I like the groceries Kevin Burt brings to the table. He is a wonderful singer and inspirational songwriter. He also plays guitar and is an effective harmonica player. This time out, unfortunately, he unpacks his formidable talents on the wrong table.

Producer Mike Zito’s understanding of blues is about as deep as my understanding of blues-rock. However, what I do appreciate is that they are two very separate animals. Zito dumps his generic and formulaic, paint by numbers guitar licks all over Burt’s beautiful songs like catsup on a juicy Iowa pork chop.

Stone Crazy is tantalizingly close to being a good follow up to his 2018 solo debut album Heartland and Soul. On that album, released in 2018, by Jim Pugh’s Little Village Foundation, Burt received the sensitivity, subtlety and nuanced backing that his talent deserved. Pugh along with Kid Andersen produced that album at Greaseland Studios in San Jose, California. Heartland and Soul was not only named as one of the Top 40 Albums in 2018 by BLUES JUNCTION, but made it into our Top 200 Albums of the Past Twenty Years.

It should be pointed out that Burt is no newcomer. He had been the front man for an Iowa based band called the Blues Instigators, which dates back to the mid 90’s.

Burt is a favorite of the blues society types in this country and therefore a favorite of the Blues Foundation in Memphis. What these folks have in common is that they don’t care for blues music. It makes them uncomfortable. Burt’s appeal to these lemmings is that he doesn’t play blues. He is what historically has been called a songster in the spirit of Alger “Texas” Alexander, Mance Lipscomb and Huddie Ledbetter (Leadbelly). A more modern context might be the late Bill Withers. Withers, like Alexander, Lipscomb and Ledbetter made very compelling music that I enjoy. Yeah, it’s OK to like music that isn’t blues and it’s OK to admit it. I also like the music of Kevin Burt.

Universal themes such as love and relationships inform Burt’s music on Stone Crazy. He cites his wife as his “muse and biggest influence.”

I referenced the music of Bill Withers as Burt’s music and singing, in particular, might put listeners in mind of the that late, great artist. There is even a Wither’s song covered on Stone Crazy, a collection of otherwise all original material. Withers was an instant hit and sold a lot of records in the 1970’s. He tangled with record company executives who wanted to market the singer/songwriter to the R&B market. He called them “Blacksperts.” He stuck to his guns and was a commercial, as well as artistic, success and then he simply walked away from the music business.

I don’t know what options Kevin Burt has, but I hope he continues to make music. Although, this fan would like to see him walk away from Mike Zito. Kevin Burt deserves better. I sincerely hope this career misstep doesn’t stand in the way of his future…which looks very bright.

- David Mac



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