The brand new single by Michael Burrows, ‘Please Don’t Cry’, taken from his debut EP ‘Turn This Love Around’, comes at a time when the Country, Folk, Americana and Rock styled artist has worked with some of music’s royalty. On his EP, Burrows worked with Grammy-award winning, Hall of Famer, Country artist Frank Myers (I Swear), producer Jimmy Nichols, and audio engineer, as well as Grammy-award winner, Steve Marcantonio. Based in Melbourne, Australia, where he produces film, music and radio scores, Burrows explained the origins of the song: “It started out as a really slow ballad, written in the early hours of the morning in the front room while everyone was asleep. At the time, I was listening to a lot of Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison, who exercise in modest melodies and deceptively simple words, describing complex emotions.” Martha Wainwright also personally selected Michael Burrows to open for her recent concert tour, lifting him into the forefront of the Australian industry.
If you love and appreciate great song craft and are not yet fully immersed in Michael Burrows’ new debut work, you should be. If you are familiar and fully acquainted with it but don’t absolutely love what he does, then there is something wrong with you. In a mass of generic, uninspiring noise, Burrows is the real deal.
His ability to weave a story into his music and stimulate emotional response is reminiscent of some of the best singer-songwriters of the past. Mixing mellow yet innovative alt-folk music with scintillating lyrics, he makes keen observations on the hidden truths of human nature. Something he promptly does on ‘Please Don’t Cry’.
Burrows has a beautiful voice, the lyrics are wonderful and sharply focused. It is the opposite of the over-produced stuff that currently saturates radio. The sound is acoustic dominated but richly layered, especially in the chorus sections which expand into fully blown, fleshed out arrangements. It’s a track to listen to and savor because it has meaning and honesty.
I’m always drawn to singer-songwriters who offer great lyrics and beautiful melodies. And Michael Burrows is no exception to the rule. Burrows can sit comfortably in my collection, next to those talents who craft songs with a strong focus on lyricism and clarity. More than anything, I suspect that Burrows is really an album-type artist, so that’s what I’m expecting next- multiple tracks of intriguing narratives.
He delivers melodic and emotional sounds that make you listen, understand and allows you to become a part of it. This is music that gets inside your head, heart, and soul. Burrows is able to take a little slice of life and give it universal scope and meaning. His lyrics cut to the core but the music and melodies are extremely accessible and catchy.
Michael Burrows is bringing an age-old craft to a new era in captivating fashion. All Burrows does, is take the quaintness of the human mind and puts it into words, alongside his poignant chord progressions. But it’s a lot easier said than done. Hence Burrows deserves substantial praise for this.
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