North Country

Product Description

Two decades before releasing his 2018 debut, North Country - a collaborative album filled with appearances by icons like Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, and Tift Merritt- he kicked off his career as a traveling folksinger, logging shows on both sides of the Atlantic. He's been on the road ever since, sharpening a sound that mixes the folk traditions of his native Ireland with diverse American influences. Raised in a family of working musicians, Burns spent his childhood in the Irish county of Donegal. He grew up surrounded by singers and instrumentalists, receiving a first-class education in Irish folk music along the way. It was a communal experience, filled with folksongs that had been passed down from one generation to the next. "It was never about one specific musician," he remembers. "It was about listening and learning. It was about playing a song, then passing the guitar to the person beside you, and hearing them play a song, too. There was no ego involved." North Country doubles down on that communal spirit. After living in America for 19 years - first in New York City, where he cut his teeth with a string of bar gigs, followed by stints in New Orleans, Chicago, and the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC - Burns has shared shows with a number of acclaimed musicians who, like him, breathe new life into older sounds. North Country nods to that diverse group of friends, shining a light not only Burns himself, but also on the community he inhabits. Holly Williams, Mindy Smith, Dan Tyminski, Cara Dillon, Tim O'Brien, ChessBoxer, and Old Crow Medicine Show's Critter Fuqua all make appearances. The result is a transatlantic folk album that's both diverse and driving, filled with swooning melodies, evocative storytelling, and an elevated level of musicianship. Self-produced by the frontman himself, North Country was largely recorded at Gary Paczosa's home studio in Nashville, as well as the city's Butcher Shoppe studio

Review

North Country, the acoustic-based new album from transatlantic troubadour Danny Burns, not only benefits from Burns' richly textured vocals and keen storytelling, but also from the Irish-born artist's musical kinships with Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Holly Williams, Dan Tyminski and Mindy Smith, among others. The result is a collection of songs kindled by the Donegal native's ancestral home and set ablaze with the aid of some of bluegrass and Americana's finest exports.

Among the LP's most irresistible tracks is the buoyant ''Look Into Her Eyes,'' a fiddle- and Dobro-driven tune that's lifted off the ground by the even more thrilling vocal blend of Burns, Bush and Williams.

''For 'Look Into Her Eyes,' I had an idea to blend Louisiana Cajun sounds with a bit of an O Brother vibe, mainly focusing on the three-part harmony,'' Burns tells Rolling Stone Country. ''I'd first met up with Sam and Jerry Douglas and they were way into the song, then I invited Holly to be a part of it and she loved the vibe, too. I'd really loved her song and production on 'Drinkin'' [from Williams 2013 LP The Highway]. Her voice and everything to do with that sounded so moving. Critter [Fuqua] from Old Crow Medicine Show got some accordion on there, then Jerry slammed in on Dobro, and me and Sam filled in the rest.''

Self-produced by Burns, North Country was largely recorded at famed producer-engineer Gary Paczosa's home studio in Nashville, as well as the Butcher Shoppe, the studio co-owned by John Prine and David ''Fergie'' Ferguson. Additional tracks on the LP, like the glorious ''Hummingbee'' and the haunting ballad ''Darling Roisin,'' celebrate the musical legacy of Burns homeland, while also evoking the artistry of influences such as Richard Thompson and Steve Earle.

Stephen L. Betts --Rolling Stone Magazine