"Darling Corey"

Peter Joseph Burtt is part of a growing cadre of American roots musicians who have traveled in Africa, learning and drawing inspiration from music there, and then incorporated that into his own work.  Burtt began as a guitarist with a taste for blues, folk, Appalachian, and Irish music.  Through travels in West and Southern Africa (subject of his first album Travelogue), he got comfortable with the 21-string kora (harp), and here, he brings the instrument home in a spare, unpretentious performance of songs ranging from Bob Dylan (“Only a Hobo,” rendered with only kora accompaniment) to Skip James (“Special Rider Blues”), and an the Clancy Brothers (“The Wind that Shakes the Barley), as well as a few originals.  The session was produced by another blues traveler to Africa, Corey Harris, and he approaches it like a field recording, capturing just Burtt, or the two of them in unadorned, live renditions. 

Burtt a pleasing, dust dry voice well suited to blues and balladry.  The kora is a somewhat odd fit with blues, which is far from the African harp’s florid, melodious, 7-note scale flights.  It comes off more as modal than bluesy on “Special Rider Blues,” with a pleasing hint of the instrument’s characteristic triplet roll.  The Irish material is more natural, particularly an ambling kora and vocal rendition of “Darling Corey.”  A number of these 12 songs feature guitars, including restrained accompaniment by Harris.  Occasional light percussion makes a nice change as on “Walking in the Rain,” with its subtle hint of funky swing.  Burtt’s own piece “Be the One,” also shifts the mood with a welcome shot of warm, three-chord harmony.  Burtt performs with understated intensity and at his best creates a powerful mood, as on his fine rendition of the Irish traditional, “Cragie Hill.”  There’s nothing didactic or overreaching here, just strong, honest performances by a troubadour whose world is wide open.

Contributed by: Banning Eyre for www.afropop.org