Well, here’s a release that came completely out of nowhere and monopolized my interest for a long time since the day that I received the promo package. Dave Burn’s name might not be widely known to the masses but let me tell you that we are talking about a prolific musician who has 24 (!) albums under his belt…17 out of which are solo endeavors. Quite impressing, if you ask me. Nevertheless, Burn is a familiar figure amongst the UFO fans as he has played on a couple of the late Paul Raymond’s albums while he has participated for a while in the UFO tribute band, UUFO. Having said that, let’s go see a few major points about Burn’s latest work, “Nothing As It Seems”.
For starters, let’s underline that the basic difference this time around is the fact that “Nothing As It Seems” is Burn’s first solo album with vocals as all his previous ones were instrumental records. In addition, behind the mic we have the spectacular Lee Small (of Lionheart fame and not only of course) while all the other instruments (including drum programming) are handled by David Burn himself.
So, what should one expect upon purchasing “Nothing As It Seems”? Pure, British classic rock with influences by UFO (naturally), MSG (of the first era), Alcatrazz and why not Cornerstone as there are moments here that Small reminded of they way that Doogie White sang on those albums. It goes almost without saying that this is a guitar-driven album that focuses mainly on mid-tempo compositions that fit like a glove with the overall aesthetic of the album. Lat but certainly not least, we must point down that the collaboration between Small and Burn is great; a perfect match, really and we hope that we will get to see more albums between those two musicians.
All in all, this is a brilliant album and a must have for all the classic rock fans out there!
Highlight: Despite the fact that Burn chooses to work with a drum programming, the final result is not only fitting but well-crafted!
