T Bone Burnett Albums (8)
What The Critics Say
While T Bone Burnett spent most of the '90s and the first years of the new millennium honing his craft as a producer, he cautiously re-emerged as a songwriter and recording artist with 2006's The True False Identity, which was his first new album in 14 years and prompted his first concert tour since 1986. A mere two years later, Burnett has returned with another new disc, Tooth of Crime, and while this project has long been in the works, it's still significant and welcome since it finally appeared at all. The ten songs on Tooth of Crime were originally created as accompaniment for a revised staging of Sam Shepard's play of the same name, which debuted in 1996 (one song, "Kill Zone," obviously dates back even farther, since the late Roy Orbison is credited as co-author), and while it's likely Burnett savored the opportunity to linger over this material before taking it into the studio, the performances here sound fresh and thoughtful -- like a good play -- while plenty of analysis and rehearsal went into refining Tooth of Crime's characters and narrative, there's still a vital humanity in the work that brings it all to life. The True False Identity was a poorly focused and lyrically scattershot work, but Tooth of Crime better captures Burnett's strongest suits as a songwriter, and if "The Rat Age," "Anything I Say Can and Will Be Used Against You," and "Here Come the Philistines" sound like broadsides, they're broadsides that communicate and express their rage and disgust with our culture's many wrong turns in an eloquent and bitterly witty fashion. Burnett is also able to find flashes of compassion in "Blind Man" and "Kill Zone," and as usual he's assembled an impressive team of collaborators who do superb work on this set. Burnett's former wife Sam Phillips brings her lovely, nuanced vocals to five songs and Marc Ribot's guitar work, at once melodic and sharply angled, is outstanding throughout, while fellow accompanists Jim Keltner, Greg Leisz, Jon Brion, and an imaginatively arranged horn section give this music a broad and atmospheric menace that well suits the songs. Tooth of Crime is a smart, absorbing, and beautifully disquieting collection of songs that could have come from no one else but T Bone Burnett, and it shows that one of America's best songwriters may be working at a very deliberate pace but he still has some remarkable things left to tell us. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'The True False Identity'
Release Date 5/16/2006
Tracks 12
Label Sony
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What The Critics Say
As a musician and songwriter, T-Bone Burnett often manages the canny feat of seeming direct and elusive at the same time; there's an emotional power and clarity in his best music that's bracing, passionate, and scrupulously honest, but he's also capable of using his artifice to throw his messages in several directions at once, and it's sometimes difficult to tell just what his intended target is supposed to be (which is part of what makes his work fascinating in the first place). Lately, Burnett's star has risen considerably as a producer, having coordinated the multi-platinum soundtrack albums for O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Walk the Line as well as breakthrough projects for Counting Crows and the Wallflowers, and Burnett's estimable skills in the studio are the best thing about The True False Identity, his first album since The Criminal Under My Own Hat in 1992. Three drummers are credited in the liner notes (Carla Azar, Jay Bellerose, and Jim Keltner), and it often seems as if all three are playing at once, as a precisely arranged clatter runs throughout these 12 songs, with Dennis Crouch's double bass keeping the rhythms locked in and Marc Ribot's superb guitar work carrying the brunt of the melody and conjuring the aural atmosphere (enough so that he could probably demand co-star billing if he were of a mind). Musically, The True False Identity is fascinating and challenging stuff, and the album is full of the sort of clever wordplay one would expect from Burnett, although a number of the songs cover themes -- still relevant themes, it should be emphasized -- that he's written about more effectively in the past (especially "Blinded by the Darkness" and "Hollywood Mecca of the Movies"). The writing on The True False Identity sometimes sounds like slogans rather than carefully thought-out verse -- although they're often great slogans ("If sin were dealt with by the laws of man, everybody would be in jail," "Cowboy with no cattle, warrior with no war/They don't make imposters like John Wayne anymore," "When you're out for revenge, dig two graves"). Burnett can do better, but from nearly anyone else, The True False Identity would be a striking and adventurous work. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Following a brief brush with country music, T-Bone Burnett's seventh solo release, The Talking Animals, continues the studio rock he began in 1983 with Proof Through the Night. Burnett once again starts with basic rock, pop, and folk roots, which he wastes no time in subverting, adding assorted twists along the way. Along with co-producer and guitarist David Rhodes, he colors a foundation of steady rhythms driven by drummer Mickey Curry and bassist Tony Levin with affected and atmospheric guitars, as well as Mitchell Froom's various keyboards. One exception is the Van Dyke Parks-arranged "Image," with its swirling strings and one verse repeated in four different languages by Burnett and three guest vocalists (Cait O'Riordan, Rubén Blades, and Ludmilla). Here he sheds the bounds of the standard pop song format to create a piece that seems to have sprung from a Weill-Brecht musical. Lyrically, The Talking Animals, like his best work, can be scathing, searching, and surreal. Burnett explores uncertainty, longing, fear, lust, fantasy, greed, and eventually justice and mercy in his quest for "The Wild Truth" (the title of one of the album's best tracks). Often criticized for preaching, Burnett seems to ask as much of himself as he does of the cast of characters here, even allowing one of them to denounce him in the wonderful final cut, "The Strange Case of Frank Cash and the Morning Paper" (although it's T-Bone Burnett who gets the last word). Even with a few less than stellar songs, The Talking Animals is a strong, inspired record. Bono, Peter Case, and Tonio K. each co-write with Burnett, as well as lending support on vocals. ~ Brett Hartenbach, All Music Guide
'The Criminal Under My Own Hat'
Release Date 1/1/1992
Tracks 12
Label Columbia
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What The Critics Say
On 1992's The Criminal Under My Own Hat, T-Bone Burnett seemed to be searching for a middle ground between his previous two albums, the bright, angular pop/rock of The Talking Animals and the spare, acoustic introspection of T-Bone Burnett. On this album, though, Burnett was willing to let these two sides of his musical personality display a greater influence upon one another; the acoustic numbers are more passionate and fuller sounding than on his previous efforts (often buoyed by Jerry Douglas on dobro and Mark O'Connor on violin), and the rockers have been peeled back a bit, giving the individual musicians a bit more room to move and letting the inner workings of the songs show. The operative philosophy appears to have been to allow the songs to shine though without excess gingerbread, and that's just what the material demanded; as always, Burnett's songs reveal his obsessions with the human failings of pride, fear, and greed, and he's willing to point the finger at himself as often as he finds shortcomings in others (though he saves his greatest wrath for the corrupt politicians and media savvy preachers attacked on "I Can Explain Everything," in which he suggests a little selective beheading might be a good idea -- as Burnett puts it, "the French knew how to lynch"). But unless his subjects happen to be George Bush or Jimmy Swaggart, Burnett finds room for compassion in nearly all of these songs, once again proving he's one of the few avowed Christians in pop music who seems to understand how tricky the nature of sin and forgiveness can be. Thoughtful, often witty, and boasting a stellar cast of fine musicians, The Criminal Under My Own Hat was easily T-Bone Burnett's strongest album since Proof Through the Night, and a rare pleasure for thinking music fans. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Released as a one-off project for MCA's briefly revived country subsidiary Dot Records, T-Bone Burnett's self-titled fourth album is the most austere and uncluttered project he's released to date, quite a switch from the high-concept folk-pop of his best-known work. Recorded and mixed live to two track in four days, T-Bone Burnett is subtle but strong, with a warm, natural acoustic sound that's gentle but surprisingly full-bodied, and the production is the perfect match for the songs, especially on the beautiful "River of Love," which is among Burnett's finest moments on record. Backed by a superb acoustic band (including David Hidalgo, Jerry Douglas, Byron Berline, and Jerry Scheff), Burnett's vocals are in superb form here, and while the album is a bit short on top-shelf T-Bone originals (half the album's songs are either covers or collaborations), what is here is compelling and listenable. T-Bone Burnett in many ways sounds like a casual project sandwiched between Burnett's "real" albums, but one listen confirms it's still the work of a major talent. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'Proof Through the Night'
Release Date 1/1/1983
Tracks 11
Label Demon
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What The Critics Say
Proof Through the Night, T-Bone Burnett's first, and last, full-length release for Warner Bros., is an ambitious take on the state of the union and times, personified by various fallen characters. To some, his persistent morality may come across as being a bit cold or even self-righteous, but further investigation reveals an underlying empathy for the individuals, even if a cynicism for the times in which they live is expressed. And if Burnett may seem tough, don't think he excludes himself from the same scrutiny. In cuts such as "Pressure" and the record's best song, "Shut It Tight," he sees himself as "just an ordinary man," struggling with the same sorts of questions, temptations, and contradictions as, for instance, those of the protagonist in the record's centerpiece, "The Sixties." Musically, he serves his tales of "beautiful, wealthy, young divorcees," fallen women, and victims of times where we "keep all the bad, destroy all the good" on a bed of vibrant, guitar-driven rock & roll and folk, even lacing spoken parables such as "Fatally Beautiful," "The Sixties," and "Hefner and Disney" with subtle hooks and enticing nuances and choruses. Like T-Bone Burnett's other Warner Bros. release, Trap Door, Proof Through the Night is smart, tight, insightful, and unfortunately not yet available on CD. Guests include Pete Townsend, Mick Ronson, Richard Thompson, the Williams Brothers, and Ry Cooder. ~ Brett Hartenbach, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
T-Bone Burnett released Truth Decay for John Fahey's Takoma Records, his first solo effort since 1972. Burnett delivers a collection of parables, tales, and personal struggles propelled by his strong beliefs and some captivating roots rock. "Quicksand," with a rhythm reminiscent of "Ring of Fire," opens the proceedings with a word of caution, and from there Burnett takes you through scenes of international affairs, betrayal, pure and untamed love, need, greed, and resolution. Songs such as "Talk Talk Talk Talk Talk," "Boomerang," and "Love at First Sight" couple sophisticated lyrical content with the simplest of materials (rockabilly, blues, folk, and country), as does the album's best cut, the bare-bones "House of Mirrors," a spoken, state-of-the-times parable in which the protagonist's fate is summed up in a wonderful historical reference. This, along with his passion and reverence for the music -- as well as a willingness to subvert it if necessary -- keeps him from coming across as retro or revivalist. Aside from the more complex material here, Burnett also proves to be equally adept at a more direct lyrical approach. Whereas in the past he would tend to lean toward the abstract, much of Truth Decay, with songs such as "Come Home," "Power of Love," and "Tears Tears Tears," owe as much to the eloquent simplicity of Hank Williams, Buddy Holly, and Willie Dixon as it does to Dylan. Removed from the big label, budget, and expectations of the Alpha Band, T-Bone Burnett produced a modest, passionate gem. ~ Brett Hartenbach, All Music Guide
'The B-52 Band & the Fabulous Skylarks'
Release Date 1/1/1972
Tracks 12
Label UNI
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What The Critics Say
Though J. Henry Burnett's solo recording career wouldn't begin in earnest for another eight years (under the name T-Bone Burnett), it actually had its inception in 1972 -- three years prior to joining Bob Dylan & the Rolling Thunder Review and five years before the Alpha Band's self-titled debut -- with the release of The B-52 Band & the Fabulous Skylarks. And while the B-52 Band included two future members of the Alpha Band (bassist David Jackson and drummer Matt Betton), there's not a lot here that would put you in the mind of that band's three late-'70s records, even if songs such as "We Have All Got a Past", "Bring Me Back Again" and "Money Changer" may hint at what was to come. Throughout the various stages of his recording career, Burnett has often been one to subvert the roots of rock & roll, blues, folk and country when needed, but musically he and his cohorts play it relatively straight here. The album's blues and rock & roll seldom stray from the ordinary, while elsewhere, songs that tip their hat to Dylan or the Band, though they may show promise, don't always stay with you. There are enticing moments throughout, but as soon as it seems as if they have you, Burnett, the B-52 Band and backup singers, the Fabulous Skylarks fail to really close the deal. And while as a writer Burnett certainly knows how to craft a song, there are a number of otherwise good ideas that never quite reach fruition, seeming to hit the wall about halfway through. Fans of T-Bone Burnett's later work may find The B-52 Band & the Fabulous Skylarks of interest, but all in all this is a fairly unremarkable, albeit respectable debut from an artist who would go on to greater things on his own, with the Alpha Band, and as a Grammy winning producer. [Originally released by Uni in 1972, the 1994 CD reissue by One Way Records contains two bonus tracks, "I Don't Want to Hear You Cry No More" and "Linda Lu."] ~ Brett Hartenbach, All Music Guide
