Album Notes

Listen to me!

PB
June 6th, 2009


CD Review Wildernessed
Patrick Burke
Self-produced


by KT, Positively Entertainment Magazine

Patrick Burke, performing artist and composer, recently released his latest recording, Wildernessed. It is evident that Burke performs live as well as in the studio. The musicians backing him on this new CD include George Ives, Charles Hemphill, Lord Alfred Douglas, John Addington Symonds and that’s just the first tune.

All the performers on this CD are heavily invested in Burke’s original sound. As a soloist, Burke can put his message across in style, but having other musicians understand and perform well on original material, for example, is critical. That dedication and familiarity are admirable on this project.

Liner notes list all players and song credits but direct you to the website for more information. Burke penned 11 of the 14 tunes on Wildernessed. Track six is A Thirty Second Song About Suicide. The lyrics are posted on the website, but Burke assures us that he is not suicidal but that he might “feel much better dead.” Burke’s unique style of humor is well-articulated in this track; it borders on the sardonic but is totally sincere.

This writer’s favorite, perhaps mainly because of familiarity, is cut number seven, Jennifer Juniper by “Donovan Leitch, genius.” Donovan’s other ‘60s era music includes Wear Your Love Like Heaven, Mellow Yellow, and more. Burke’s arrangement of Jennifer Juniper renders the tune recognizable. It is of great significance that Burke can apply his personal style to this tune and still preserve the substance. If you doubt that Burke can include a light-hearted tune like this in his current collection and also have a smooth flow from one tune to another, you must listen to Wildernessed.

In keeping with the ethereal and slightly spooky sound of this recording, Burke occasionally sacrifices clarity of his lyrics in favor of the moody and emotionally seductive impression overall. Described as literary rock, Wildernessed is inspired by the life and work of Oscar Wilde. Burke states that this latest release is his best work.

A visit to his website is revealing, as Burke also is a photographer. Since his fine art posters are based on his photography, the digital element captures the images but rearranges them for maximum impact. Burke refers to his artistic style as of the “New Impressionists” school. That classification can also be used to describe his music. Other attempts to describe Wildernessed certainly must fail at some point. Wildernessed has to be witnessed.