Description
The self-titled sophomore studio album by the American folk-rock combo Burlap to Cashmere was released on JIVE Records and Essential Records in 2011.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since last we heard Burlap to Cashmere together. Time has mellowed the vocals a little bit, and there is more emphasis on haunting harmony and tunefulness, and a little less of the insane flamenco-like guitar flourishes (don’t worry, they aren’t gone, just different). Still, the core that made this band so exciting has remained, and it was worth the wait. Definitely the bones of the first album are still there – there are still influences of the Greek-ethnic musical beds that underpin so much of the previous album. The rhythms are simpler, less driving, and certainly the music is slower and more melodic. Guitars dominate the melody and the bouzouki is hidden in the background on a couple songs.
These tunes are joyous, but tinged with weariness and the knowledge that experience brings. The name says it all – Burlap to Cashmere, emptiness to fulness, darkness to light – these songs are stories that explore the instances where God’s light shines even in the midst of humanity’s deepest sorrow, though the lyrics are thoughtful, sometimes cryptic to the point where you’d want a libretto for explanation. Perhaps this is deliberate – a lyrical Rorschach test – but Steven Delopoulos‘ prose still affects the spirit deep. After all the tragedy that the band endured (guitarist Johnny Phillipiddis was seriously injured and left in a coma for quite a long time due to a road rage incident), this album is a homecoming, a celebration of great songwriting, solid playing, soulful singing, deep and beautiful lyrics.
Influences from classic American rock to the inimitable Van Morrison are more easily seen here, and that is for the good – there are sure homages to classic singer/songwriters like Paul Simon and Cat Stevens as well, but all of this is not to say that they sound like anyone but themselves. In fact, Simon’s recent release was declared a triumph by most critics but doesn’t hold a candle melodically to most of the tunes on ‘Burlap to Cashmere’. There is serioulsy not a dud song in the batch here, but my personal favorite might be the simplest: the disc’s final cut, «The Other Country», seems to adapt Tolkein’s assertion that we are travelers while here on earth and that Heaven is our true home, and it bears a strong, soulful resemblance to Morrison’s «Crazy Love», Bruce Springsteen’s «My City In Ruins» and most notably, Curtis Mayfield’s «People Get Ready». Yet the song never resorts to direct theft, ala John Mayer in «Waiting for the World to Turn». In a year with several strong releases already (and several this cycle), ‘Burlap to Cashmere’ is right up there at the top and represents a welcome return from one of the industry’s most valued artistic entities. [Shawn McLaughlin, Christian Musician, September/October 2011]
After an absence of more than a decade, Burlap To Cashmere, the critically acclaimed folk-rock /electric/acoustic band that effectively merged ethnic, urban and pop influences to create their own unique musical signature, is back. The self-titled project slated to release on July 19, has a ‘here they are again, for the very first time’ feeling about it. Back again are the unmistakable vocals, the Mediterranean rhythms, the tight, impeccable instrumentation, the sometimes esoteric, but always intriguing lyrics…. yet there’s a new maturity about these Brooklyn, NY artists. The post 9/11 version is less frantic and more reflective – still intense, but more introspective.
Drawing from a multitude of influences ranging from family ethnicity to pop culture, the self-titled collection of songs, while never imitative, is musically seasoned by admiration for Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Van Morrison, The Band, and certainly Cat Stevens (although in the case of Stevens, it’s mostly due to the uncanny vocal similarity in the timbre of singer/guitarist/songwriter Steven Delopoulos‘ voice). The resulting combination of all of the things that make Burlap To Cashmere tick is a timeless musical style that relies on its own artistic integrity rather than the current pop sound du jour.
Singer/songwriter Steven Delopoulos, guitarist John Philippidis and drummer Theodore Pagano still remain the core of the performing and recording unit, preserving the BtC sound and continuing the musical legacy with integrity and style. Mitchell Froom (Elvis Costello, Suzanne Vega, Los Lobos, Paul McCartney) produces the project with restraint and taste, allowing the band to create an unaffected human sound.
Basically an acoustic band (even though electric bass, guitar and keyboards are sparingly used), don’t make the mistake of categorizing Burlap To Cashmere as folk or country – in fact, they are closer to a hybrid of Greek folk music mixed with pop and a bit of acoustic jazz, and only come close to country here on «Live in a Van». There’s even an occasional hint of the Hot Club (if Django had been Greek) in the passionate acoustic guitar work – the entrance and short solo on «Orchestral Love Song» being a good example.
From the toughness of «Build a Wall», which reminds me of the way The Alarm used acoustic guitars to a strong rock effect, to the elegant beauty of «Love Reclaims the Atmosphere», (a track reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel’s «April Come She Will», that actually eclipses that song for elegance, melody and stunning two-part harmony), this project shows the band to be multi-faceted and well-eqiped to deliver a variety of styles. Burlap To Cashmere creates smart, memorable, lasting, melodic songs – the kind that linger with you long after the CD has been put back into its jacket – and that’s really what this is all about: good songs.
Covering a variety of life-issues in the lyrics, there’s a poetry to Delopoulos’ words that elevates the songs beyond the typical banality of contemporary pop. Gritty and elegant at the same time, the songs reflect every day life but also contain Biblical allusions for those ‘with an ear to hear’ such things – this is especially true in the album’s closing track – the Van Morrison-esque, «The Other Country».
Burlap To Cashmere is indeed back, contributing a welcome diversion from the all-too-generic sounds of the pop mainstream: intelligent, well-written, well performed songs for the discerning, thoughtful listener. It’s good to have the boys from Brooklyn in action again. [Bert Saraco, The Phantom Tollbooth, 13 June 2011]
> Apple Music
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “Don’t Forget To Write” – 3:06
A2. “Build A Wall” – 3:22
A3. “Tonight” – 3:27
A4. “Love Reclaims The Atmosphere” – 3:39
A5. “Closer To The Edge” – 3:00
Side Two
B1. “Orchestrated Love Song” – 4:01
B2. “Live In A Van” – 3:40
B3. “Santorini” – 3:02
B4. “Hey Man” – 2:43
B5. “Seasons” – 3:39
B6. “The Other Country” – 3:16
Note: Released on both CD (featuring digipak packaging) and 12-inch vinyl LP by JIVE Records.
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