Album Notes

Album Review



Make no mistake about it: Sue Burkhart's Bad Omen is a blues record. Not blues-rock, not rhythm & blues; just plain old roots blues. The album is filled with stripped-down, foot-stomping tracks with a traditional sound that feels a lot less contrived than some acts passing for blues these days. To truly pull off traditional blues, an artist has to be able to command an audience using minimal tools, and Burkhart fits the bill. Her guitar chops—along with her voice—are enough to carry her songs without a lot of bells and whistles. She is at her best when she allows her playing and singing to shine, as on the opening title track, "Bad Omen" and the soulful "Pebbles and Sand." Burkhart's original songs maintain a traditional feel without coming across as well-worn cliches, which is no mean feat. The one weak spot on the album comes when Burkhart deviates perhaps a bit too much from tradition, on the tongue-in-cheek "Mama's got an iPod." I get the joke, but the strength of Bad Omen lies in its timeless quality, the ability to relate human experience across generations and the lines of race and class that divide us.
—Casey Hayman, Local Buzz