Michael Burks - From The Inside Out
Independent Release 1997
Review Published Feb 1, 1999
Visit the Michael Burks Official Website
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Track Listing
- Find Me A New Love
- From The Inside Out
- Talk To Me Baby
- Little Did I Know
- Lyin', Sneakin' and Cheatin'
- Play Hard For My Money
- Lonely Heart
- Nothin' Else To Do
- Can You Feel It
- Too Hard To Please
- Jammin' At The Wheel
EB Rating - 4.0
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A recipient of the Blues Foundation's
Albert King Award for most promising guitarist, Michael Burks has obviously taken inspiration
from that award's namesake. On this CD's slower tunes, Michael's vocal style and thick guitar sound reminded
me of Albert more than once. He doesn't stop there though. Michael is able to step up the pace with
some spirited blues-rock as well.
All songs on From The Inside Out were written by Michael,
and include a mixture of blues-rock, slow blues, and ballads, with a little soul and R&B thrown in.
Little Did I Know, Lonely Heart, and Too Hard To Please
are standard blues songs, and it's on these songs that the A. King sound comes into play. It's not mentioned
on the liner notes, but it's my guess Little Did I Know is a tribute to
Albert, who's spirit is quite stong on this one.
Find Me A New Love, Talk To Me Baby, and
Play Hard For My Money are faster blues or blues-rock, and I most enjoy Michael's
guitar playing on these songs. He seems to switch to a different mode for these tunes. His leads
have a stronger feel to them, and I like his guitar's tone.
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Except for the closer, the rest of the songs are soul/R&B/ballad mixtures. The most notible
of these is Can You Feel It, a soulful ballad featuring some nice guitar work.
The last song, Jammin' At The Wheel, is a lively intrumental.
Michael's band has been hard at work playing the club circuit, several blues festivals, and gaining recognition.
They also have a second CD produced, and are looking for a label. It seems likely to me that The
Michael Burks Band will be signed soon.
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