Everlasting J.D. Burns by Jason Hoffman J.D. Burns spent years playing lead guitar around Louisville, Kentucky and the Tidewater area of Virginia before moving to Garrett, Indiana. With the release of his self-produced debut, Everlasting, one needn’t travel to another state or even another taxing authority to hear Burns flex his musical muscle. Over the course of 50 minutes Burns presents four vocal songs and eight instrumentals. His Christian faith is deeply evident in the lyrical outings, such as the title track in which Burns’ strong vocals present a clear proclamation of the gospel amidst a hopeful array of two clean-toned guitars, bass and drums. The bluesy song of thanksgiving, “Face Tomorrow,” finds a bit more lead playing, while the upbeat “Holy Holy” is a cyclical chorus full of chiming guitars that would serve some churches well as a praise song. For the most part his lyrical songs sport tastefully restrained playing that support, but do not overshadow, the vocals. Where Burns really shines is on the instrumental tracks. He begins with a formula of bass and drums down the middle with two guitars, panned hard left and right, that improvise on a given chord progression for the duration of the song. Even here he is reserved, with few solos but plenty of solid riffing chops, each explored to great depths and played with immaculate skill. Tracks like “Dreamland” exhibit an almost Spanish influence, with both guitar parts expertly commingling with clear, chiming tones, while the heavy introductory drums of “Industrial Strength” let you know right from the start that distorted guitars will reign, in this case setting Collective Soul-type riffs against an overdriven wah guitar. “City Lights” takes a twist in setting a mysterious mood for the first minute before taking a turn into an angular yet melodic Satriani style. A definite album hightlight is “Echoes,” where two carefully wrought melodies dance in a pastoral setting of a calm spring day, very reminiscent of Phil Keaggy’s impressive acoustic work. Burns not only wrote the music on Everlasting, but also programmed the drums, played all parts and recorded and mastered the album himself. But the lyrics make it very obvious that Burns’ focus is on Christ, not himself. Such a focus creates a more intimate and personable album, one chock full of Christian fervor and meandering musical journeys that would be appreciated by a broad audience. Available at cdbaby.com. Copyright 2007 Ad Media Inc.