SAM BURTON, DEAR DEPARTED

There are albums that at are at once new and yet are so seemingly  familiar....like an album that you have been listening to for years. Sam Burton's new album, Dear Departed, is one of them. Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, Burton eventually relocated to Los Angeles, where he became part of the city's folk music scene. After releasing a series of homemade recordings, he made his full length debut in 2020 with I Can Go With You, produced by Jarvis Taveniere. For his second album, Burton teamed up with producer Jonathan Wilson, whose work includes albums by Father John Misty and Angel Olsen.

Released in July, Dear Departed finds Burton exploring themes of love, loss, and personal change through ten beautifully arranged songs that recall the Laurel Canyon sound of the late sixties and early seventies. Wilson's production brings together lush strings, piano, acoustic guitar, and touches of pedal steel, complementing Burton's warm, melancholic vocals. Songs like "Pale Blue Night," "Maria," and "I Don't Blame You" bring to mind the music of Glen Campbell, Harry Nilsson, and Jackson Browne. There is a wonderful warmth to this album, with melodies and arrangements that sound as though they could have come from another era.