I’ve been sitting on my hands for a good amount of time now, waiting until the general public can get James Burrows’ debut album into their little paws.
This album is great. I love it. I know I love almost everything I post on here but, seriously, I’m so excited you get to listen to whole thing now.
Burrows’ tired vocals and jaded depiction of working-class CanAmerica (he lives in Toronto) draw easy comparisons to Bruce Springsteen. While Burrows generally revels in a classic rock vibe, he avoids the temptation of drawing too many connections to Bruce (with the exception of “Factories Made of Steel.”) Burrows’ songs manage manage to romanticize working class life while vividly painting the hardships therein.
Though Burrows has spent most of his professional life writing about poverty and gentrification (and “Factories Made of Steel” and “Disco” certainly take neoliberalism to task), I have to wonder if Burrows has become the kind of person his songs implicitly critique. Just like conservatives singing along to “Born in the USA,” isn’t it a little suspect for a 20-something living in a “bohemian” (read: gentrifying) neighborhood to wax poetic about the working life? Or maybe I’m just bringing my own One Percenter baggage into this. Either way, this is a great album and it’ll make you feel the things that matter.
James Burrows — Official (and I guess the purchase link is on his site?), Facebook