Perhaps the new CD “It Ain’t Love” doesn’t put Megan Burtt in the same league as Sheryl Crow — but for a rookie, she’s pretty darn close.
Burtt’s folk/blues/roots/rock style has the easy, flowing, engaging style — thanks in large part to her delicate yet enduing vocals — that reaches out and snares listeners. But Burtt found it daunting to choose a studio that would bring out the best she could offer — vocally and spiritually — while recording her album.
“I’m all about preserving the moment,” Burtt said from a stop on her tour. “When [co-producer Eddie Jackson] found this studio, I went with my gut and stopped looking. It was a former church that had been converted into a live-in studio, and we all literally hunkered down and got it done.”
If you go
Megan Burtt and The Cure for Love supporting Tim Blaine
Where: The Rookery, 2519 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington
When: 10 p.m. Friday
Info: $5; 202-293-6941; therookerydc.com
A graduate of Berklee College of Music, the Denver-based Burtt has found airplay and recognition regionally but decided the Belfrey Recording Studio in LaFayette, N.Y., had the vibe she and her band — The Cure For Love — needed to best present their best music. The 12-song CD is full of up-tempo, soulful, almost pleading songs about love and finding yourself.
One of the many standout tracks is “The Other Side of Lonely,” all about a woman who finds herself in love with someone who is no longer in love with her. “I wanna break free/wanna find a place that’s not in love with misery/somewhere in between/I want to find me.”
“Too Damn Hard” and “Pay It Now” are more vignettes about heartbreak. The lyrics are compelling, and Burtt, who co-wrote the first, and co-wrote the second with Ashen Keilyn — knows just how to breathe passion into the tunes so they take on very deep, personal meanings shared by the singer and the listener.
“I think my style is directly influenced by the people I listened to [growing up], like Bonnie Raitt,” Burtt said. “I’m really proud of the project; all the stars lined up and fell into place. It was amazing.”
It’s a good bet it’s just the beginning.
