Tre Burt: Caught It From The Rye (Oh Boy Records dist. by Thirty Tigers)
Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
What a pure and honest voice! There are some strong Dylan and Prine elements but the music on Caught It From The Rye is 100% original. I think Tre’s contributions to Americana music and folk is exactly what we need right now. There aren’t enough troubadours anymore. Those men and women that believe that music is their calling and they will do anything to spread their art, irrespective of money.
Tre Burt is a Sacramento native and states that John Prine is one of his three all time favorites. Based on listening to this entire album, I don’t think I am stepping out of line by assuming that Dylan is probably on that list as well. Most of the album is just Tre and the acoustic guitar with what I would call light instrument accompaniment. Tre and the acoustic are definitely the heroes here and the album prominently displays that fact. There is a very, very big sound that Tre has created and it is glorious.
Where to start? All of the nine songs on this release are worthy of praise and some ink. One song for me rises to the top and that song is Get It By Now Blues (Track 8). What an absolute masterpiece that carries the torch from Leadbelly, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seger, Dylan, and Prine. This song shows its beauty starting at the first note. This is a song of heartbreak that is so good, it will be around for a long time. The powerful writing and a voice that speaks to us directly is something that music has been missing for a while now. Hopefully Tre can fill that void.
Franklin’s Tunnel (Track 4) is the only song on this collection that features another voice. Jules Bee (Sea Of Bees) provides vocals on this track and it is amazing how well her voice melds with Tre’s. It truly is something magical. Two voices completely intertwined to create a third voice. That’s called synergy. There is no shortage of it on Franklin’s Tunnel.
Another astounding number is the title track, Caught It From The Rye (Track 2). Tre’s voice pulls off this number because of his vocal strength and ability to switch between notes flawlessly. According to Tre, the song is about the cycle of life from birth to death. This song was not written in the traditional sense but came to Tre during a visit to the forest in southern Washington state. He states after the first line, the rest of the song was created in a state of subconsciousness, similar to a hypnotic state.
The album is a bit short, only 27 minutes. But, there is no filler here. This is all substance with no artificial additives or by-products. Listening to Caught It From The Rye may be the fastest half an hour you ever spent. If you are anything like me, you are grateful for the rewind button.
