https://www.facebook.com/michaelburrowsmusic/
Michael Burrows is a singer/songwriter hailing from Australia. Despite this being his first official release, he has recorded original songs with the great Kiwi songwriter Neil Finn (who has just joined Fleetwood Mac) and has toured with Martha Wainwright. His music is highly melodic Americana-influenced pop/rock and you can hear the influences of his favourite artists (The Beatles, Wilco and Ron Sexsmith) in his songwriting.
He has been co-writing with Grammy award-winning artist Frank Myers and recorded an EP in Nashville. This debut single Please Don’t Cry is a perfect showcase of his gift for melody. Set to a finely crafted Beatles-esque chord progression full of sevenths, Burrows’ radio-friendly yet distinctive voice gives his music a style of his own. Starting with a simple lead guitar figure, beautifully recorded acoustic guitars form the bedrock of the sound.
Lyrically, it’s a bittersweet depiction of the end of a relationship, summed up with the lines: “A cover band have finished playing The Last Goodbye, but please don’t cry…”. There’s a number of nice, subtle production touches such as the blend of stacked vocal harmonies at certain moments, interspersed with biting Harrison-style lead guitar. The production as a whole is flawless, as you would expect from a recording in Nashville.
Overall, this is a hugely impressive debut release from an upcoming songwriter who has honed his craft to a high level and is clearly ready for the world stage. With a commercial sound, he offers the virtues of good old fashioned songwriting which almost seems sidelined in an era where EDM and hip-hop predominates. Please Don’t Cry should be the first step on the ladder towards a hugely successful and lengthy career.
VERDICT: 9 out of 10
Alex Faulkner
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