The Shawl finds Doug Burr setting Biblical Psalms to music. Now, before you skip to the next review and write this off as some cheesy kid’s lullaby muzak or even some peppy youth group praise album that wants to make you all “happy in Jesus” – hold on a second. This is a serious attempt to capture the full range of emotions covered in the Psalms. Sadness and grief are just as prominent as hope and joy. “I Am Weary With My Singing” sits next to “Surely God is Good to Israel.” This is not rah-rah “look at my very real fake smile here” kind of music. The joy expressed here is earned after wrestling with the struggles of life. This is true worship, in a sense.
The music behind the words is sparse, acoustic, and melancholy. The Shawl was actually recorded in the building that you see on the front cover. It is almost as if that old building impressed it’s weighty history on each breath of Burrs – every note and vocal inflection are filled with a certain depth that you normally don’t get in most albums containing so much holy scripture.
Doug Burr is accompanied by a whole slew of musicians that play all of the istruments you have come to expect from Amerciana/folk music. This release has been around for a while, but pick it up if you haven’t.
[2008 Velvet Blue Music | Purchase: VelvetBlueMusic.com]
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