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Brian Burns' "Highways,
Heartaches & Honky Tonks" and "Angels & Outlaws"
By Rockzilla
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Brian's wife, Veronica, contacted me a couple of months ago about a link to Brian's web site, and I casually mentioned the fact that we didn't have anything about Brian on our site, and a few days later, both CD's showed up in the Rockzillaworld mailbox. They've been playing pretty much constantly since then. "Highways, Heartaches, Honkytonks"(1997) features Chris Schlotzhauer on pedal steel and dobro, Rodney Wall and Ben Smith on electric lead guitar, Tommy Alverson on classical guitar and vocals, Ray Wylie Hubbard as guest vocalist , and Veronica Burns on background vocals. Brian handles vocals, drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, and he produced the album. The title track, 'Highways, Heartaches, and Honkytonks', establishes Brian's ability to honytonk with the best of 'em. This is followed by 'Lucy & Desi', a song about a married couple who are actually in love. It seemed like a cool little upbeat tune until I got to thinking about the way Brian uses the "I Love Lucy" theme music, and closes with Desi Arnaz singing the theme. Has a very nostalgic feel to it- like maybe couples like that are a thing of the past. 'Montgomery Street (Where Did The Good Ones Go)' really drives that feeling home. Maybe you have to be of a certain age and had to grow up in the right neighborhood, but the fact is this song makes me cry. I've made that trip back and seen those blue and pink houses and the missing tool sheds and felt that almost desperate feeling that something terrible had happened there. 'Whisky-o' and 'If You Don't Believe I Love You (Ask My Wife)' are two more fine honkytonk songs followed by 'I Don't Live Here Anymore'. One of the saddest songs I've ever heard, Brian does an excellent job on the vocals and the guitars are beautiful. If you like a good ol' sad song, this one ranks right up there with "He Stopped Loving Her Today". Next up is 'Mexico in Mind' followed by Ray Wylie Hubbard and Michael Mays' rocking 'Little Angel Comes A-Walkin' '. That gets us to 'Commerce & Pearl' and that's a good place to be. Brian sings of an old downtown bar and the folks who hung out there, and found "their own kind of truth" from "the reeling of rhymes from better times". They ask him to "play that song about Dallas after midnight" because :"there ain't a soul around here that's been baptized". What a segue! Brian's rendition of Ray Wylie Hubbard's 'Dallas After Midnight' is haunting and brilliant, aided by Ray's vocals at the end. 'Fire Ants' is fun, but maybe out of place on this album. The last track, 'The Haunted Jukebox' is as good as country songs get. "Angels & Outlaws"(1999) is, perhaps, a better album. Overall it seems a little more thoughtful and laid back, and the songs seem to work together a little better. The album features Terry Allen as a guest vocalist, Justin Alverson and Joe Forlini on electric lead guitar, Gary Carpenter on pedal steel, T-Roy Miller on dobro and mandolin, and Jeff Welch and Harley Brown on harmonica. Veronica Burns again provides backup vocals, and Kevin and Teresa Dolberry appear as backup vocalists on 'Picasso's Last Lament'. Brian takes care of electric rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, Spanish guitar, accordion, bass, percussion, and vocals. Again he produces and engineers the album. 'Welcome To Texas', an attitudinal honkytonker, is followed by the incredibly powerful title track 'Angels & Outlaws'. This song has some fascinating lyrics: "God drives a '69 Chevy Impala with stained glass windows and hyper-strobe headlights, you can hear his engine whine at the end of the radio dial" and later: "God plays a '59 black Stratocaster with VibroLux Reverb and big bang precision, you can hear his holy music tonight on the back streets of man" Wow. Next comes Shake Russell's fine 'Temper, Temper, then 'Fast Trains to Texas', 'I couldn't Lay This Guitar Down', 'Don't Tell Mama', 'Send Me a Honky-tonk Angel', Terry Allen's bizarre 'Gimme a Ride to Heaven', BW Stevenson's 'East India Company(We Be Sailin')', Borders to Cross, Bridges to Burn', and 'Good Night Angelina'. That gets us to 'Painted by Memory', a touching song about a man trying to recall exactly how his lost love looked. It ends with the words: "I'm not a grand old painter, so excuse the artistry, 'cause it had to be painted from memory". Another brilliant segue into Paul McCartney's 'Picasso's Last Lament'. The album ends with a reprise of the 'Angels & Outlaws' chorus and some excellent acoustic guitar work. Throughout this album, Brian seems to be examining our tendency to do those things that we know we shouldn't do, and the things we do to try to live with the consequences. His attention to detail is amazing. On "Highways, Heartaches, & Honkytonks", there is a line in 'Commerce & Pearl' that says "I'm just winkin' at a green eyed girl" and it is followed by few notes from the earlier 'Lucy & Desi'. I love that stuff. Brian actually thinks about how the songs on his albums fit together, and that is pretty rare these days. It seems like many artists just throw the twelve songs they have recorded, no matter what they are, onto a disc. Brian Burns is a great songwriter and an excellent performer. He has a voice that's kind of a cross between Gordon Lightfoot and Don Williams. From speaking with him, I know that he has a passion for music. From listening to his music, with his repeated use of nostalgia and religious references, I am guessing that, like most of us, he is seeking the truth. His seeking just seems to be at a different level than ours. I look forward to his next album. Buy Brian's albums. Go to his shows. You'll be glad you did. Be sure to visit Brian's web site at: |
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