Burnt Blue, the newest EP from San Francisco musician J Burn, is a modern slice of Americana as homespun as apple pie. Recorded at TRI Studios owned by Bob Weir, there is a taste of Appalachian Folk to Burn’s sound, influenced by the likes of The Grateful Dead, Neil Young, and Johnny Cash. While only four songs long, the EP is intended to be a precursor to a forthcoming full-length. Burnt Blue nevertheless stands up perfectly by itself as its own self-contained statement, and over the course of the EP, it feels like Burn is taking you on a personal tour of his own home.
Sporting classic-sounding folk titles such as “Freight Train,” and “Old Time Heroes,” the EP definitely leans towards Burn’s more Americana side. “Freight Train,” an impeccable slice of wistful country folk, and could have easily found its home on an album like Workingman’s Dead, while “Memory Lane” is a raw and loose rag reminiscent of something recorded at Big Pink. The late night, drunken atmosphere continues on with “Old Time Heroes,” and the EP closes with a melancholy Dylan -esque finale on “Our Song Shared.” Each of the four songs represents a subtly different shade of folk music, coming together for one fascinating and heartfelt collection that is Burnt Blue.
