John Bunzow
Darkness And Light
Sideburn
Bunzow takes his many years of experience composing, playing and recording back into the studio for another eleven tracks of honest, accomplished and deeply moving barroom blues-infused country and folk music. Pulling in every direction – from Kris Kristofferson to Hank Williams, from Bob Dylan to Gram Parsons – Bunzow manages to hold it all tightly together by his casual singing, his laid-back delivery, and the sheer strength of his songwriting.
Both musically and lyrically, Bunzow has an impressive grasp of his craft and such a strong and unique voice, and his songs are defined both by their diversity and the distinct sense of unity and personality running through them. Themes of disillusionment, new found hope, distrust and making a new start are more than common in folk music, and it’s a sign of Bunzow’s talents that he tackles these subjects both respectfully and in a refreshing manner. Some of the songs may stray too far into traditional country music territory – “Muddy Water Under the Bridge” being a particular example – and seem a bit redundant on here. But those are few and far between, and on the whole Bunzow has made a stunningly passionate and refreshingly contemporary country album.
Sideburn Records: http://www.burnsiderecords.com
