Clare Burson - Silver and Ash

At eight years old, Brooklyn-based singer and songwriter Clare Burson first heard about the harrowing wartime experiences of her grandmother Mimi. The story of a 19-year-old German Jew who managed to flee Nazi Germany on the eve of Kristallnacht became something of an obsession for Burson -- "it's haunted me for as long as I can remember" --  as she tried to imagine her grandmother's life and times, of persecution and escape and, she observes, "to grapple with that history and come to terms with it myself." These reflections serve as the inspiring catalyst for Silver and Ash (September 14, Rounder), Burson's long-awaited followup to her excellent 2007 album Thieves and an extraordinarily personal and moving new song cycle of lives and memories lost and found.

"I tried to put myself in her shoes and imagine how I would have felt in those situations," Burson says and it is her unique personal connection -- and remarkable poetic lyricism -- that imparts Silver and Ash its special intimacy. There's also the Tennessee native's voice, shaping and bending the notes of her melodies with a marvelous air of sultry nonchalance. "Baby Boy" is an amalgam of layered, drifting guitar lines, gently prodding rhythm section and a Burson's sweetly textured voice wrapped in a cool, irresistible hook. "Goodbye My Love" boasts a wistful melody as fragile and delicate as bone china while "Everything's Gone" has a windswept production of cinematic proportions, an eerie, pulsing gem that is a wonder of mood and intricate instrumental interplay. Highly recommended.

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Clare Burson - "Everything's Gone" (from the album Silver and Ash)

Clare Burson - "Baby Boy" (from the album Silver and Ash)

Clare Burson on WNYC's soundcheck...interview and live performance.

Banner Photo Credit: Ted Burson