Few people do this kind of country anymore. It's either slick and self-conscious or leaning in the direction of pop-rock. Burke is rough and twangy; guitar and pedal steel indulge in a gruesome duel while he sings of drinking till he dies, or gets nostalgic thinking about his prairie town. There is more enthusiasm than refinement, more up-tempo energy than introspection. A song such as "Statue" goes back to that place where country met rock 'n' roll, or Hank Williams met Elvis Presley. Burke's choice of covers is telling, too: Wilco (the new), Merle Haggard (the old) and George Jones (the sodden). Grade: B - Tom Harrison
For fans of roots/rock, country/rock or whatever you want to call it, this is a disc that you are going to want to have. "It's raw, It's honest, It's beautiful, It's BIG JOE BURKE, It rocks."
Most of the time such press releases are tested to see if they are real and therefore CD Baby and MySpace are a blessing for many artists. The above is the laudatory criticism of our good friend Graham Brown whose album "Stand Your Ground" we reviewed last August.
Joe Burke is rough and twangy and his debut album "Love or Money" should be classified as a 'must buy' for anyone who enjoys the Bakersfield sound in combination with a firm shot of country-blues and roots.
The opener "Prairie Town" rocks like crazy. "The Tragic Death of Jimmie Dean & the Ragtop", the title track "Love or Money" and the brilliant alt. country pearls "Judgement Day" and "Unsaid" and "Cups on the Table" take you to a place where drinks are flowing, cars are tearing through curves in the road and the onlookers are drunk as skunks.
Happily, Burke and his friends James, Gord and Sandy build a much-needed pause to persuade the beautiful women to join us for an intimate dance. Country from the past with George Jones "Just One More" achieves perfect harmony with the contemporary Wilco sound in "Far, Far Away". The album "Love or Money" is a very tasteful initiative where electric guitars delightfully duel with steel guitars and the drums, subtle and unobtrusive throughout give sufficient space to guests Kathryn Peterson and Tom Lavin so they can also contribute successfully to the album.
Where sweet, sweet home felt country meets rock and roll is the message we get from "Statue" and I think that itÕs clear that Big Joe Burke and band is a guaranteed evening of excellent entertainment. Put on your dancing shoes and get up on the floor for a two-step with your sweetieÉ premier stuff out of Vancouver.
BRAVO - RAW, BEAUTIFUL, HONEST - BIG JOE BURKE
Here's a local band with a taste of dust, whiskey, open prairies and open hearts. Nice job boys, real fine songs, and some very tasteful playing.
The disc starts off with Prairie Town which is one of my favorites at the moment, with a great guitar intro to pull you in and Joe's... big honest voice washing over you, singing about the prairie town he grew up in, seems so right to me, a well written song. There are some real stand-outs on this CD for me. The afore mentioned Prairie Town, Judement Day which is a song that I can hear Gordon Lightfoot singing and probably wish he wrote . Unsaid would fit nicely into any Blue Rodeo set or Jr. Gone Wild set for that matter. There are so many fine guitar tones through out the disc that it's pointless to list them song by song. And for you drummers out there, there's some fine brush work that really sets the feel and allows the band to sit in the pocket effortlessly. Joe's voice takes you back to a time when singers used to tell stories in a honest believeable tone. Joe has included some cover songs that the boys pull off with class. On the song Just One More Joe's voice lives to sing that song and you can hear it some where deep, dark and beautiful.
For fans of roots/rock, country/rock or whatever you want to call it,this is a disc that you are going to want to have. "It's raw, It's honest, It's beautiful, It's BIG JOE BURKE, It rocks."
In the Province competition for Best Buskers selected from those musical artists applying for licences to play in local transit stations, you told us your favourite was Big Joe Burke.
Who is this cowboy hat-wearing man with the stylishly coiffed band? Read on.
Background: "I grew up in Edmonton and moved out to Vancouver in '87 and played in a bunch of reasonably insignificant bands. Had a couple of kids, sold off all the gear but one acoustic guitar and 13 or 14 years later, the kids are teenagers and I started playing guitar again. I liked it, started going around to open mics and people told me to get a band. Our first gig was last year at a place on Pender Street called Yagger's."
Musical Growth: "I came out of Edmonton's punk scene rooming with guys like SNFU and going to Black Flag shows. After working my regular day job as a contract web designer, it's nice to get out there and play my songs. The debate goes back and forth constantly about what kind of music we play, but I think that it's country, just not the sort that you hear on C&W radio or CMT. That doesn't mean it couldn't be."
Love Or Money: "The album has 12 songs and nine are originals with -- like any good country album -- some well chosen covers [Wilco, Merle Haggard and George Jones -- ed.]. They work well whichever configuration of the band it happens to be, since sometimes we're a four-piece, sometimes a duo. It all depends on who shows up."
The Car on the Album Cover: "I wish it was mine, but actually the bass player's father owns it and about four others. It's beautiful and, believe it or not, all stock inside and out."
Busking: "I'm in between jobs and I thought that it would be a good way to get some exposure and also the only place to busk and make money is in the train stations. We went down to the audition and it was like American Idol, with three judges and the representative from TransLink all doing their best to stay stone-faced while you play. I did catch one guy singing along, which is a good sign.
"If you get a call-back, there is a three-hour session about busking "do's and dont's" and then you get to decide if you want pay the $75 for the licence."
By Stuart Derdeyn
© 2007 Big Joe Burke. All Rights Reserved.