Music Review - Burrow by Max Garcia Conover

Burrow - Max Garcia Conover (Clip Records)

This is the debut album for a young man with local roots in my backyard.  Max is an amazingly talented guitar player/singer/songwriter who isn't going to fit into a nice neat pigeon hole.

I got the chance to hear Conover play live at the Hometown Album Release Party at Southern Tier Brewery earlier in July.  He replicated the thoughtful lyric/straightforward music combination that I'd heard listening online.

The music on the album goes it's own way and that may be why I love it so much.  "Burrow" opens with an acoustic cut "Teem" that is quiet and compelling.   That's a unusual choice but Conover is not your usual performer.  There are two instrumentals on this album ("Fog Over Treeline" is the other, which runs a whopping 59 seconds).  Exactly one song runs longer than three minutes ("The Wedding Line") and all the songs offer lyrics that you can mull on for quite a while.  You can look at them as being obscure or you can find in them the kind of depth rarely found in the popular hits of today (or any day).  As an example I'm not sure I understand the opening lyrics of  "For Blackwater Woods" but they speak to me:

I seek the storm where frost hits the high reeds me leaping from shore.  I sing for the sweat and if my knees can carry moon shine for me yet.  I seek the storm you need shelter me not I don't aspire to the warmth

Like poetry the lyrics speak to the emotion as much as the intellect.  Rather than simply telling a story directly it carries you into the story challenging you to find your own way.

The show in July was nice but Max needs to work on developing a more commanding stage presence.  He did note that he had only been a "professional touring musician" for less than a month at that point.  The venue offers a challenge to one guy and a guitar.  That means that have a solid on stage presence is all the more vital.  Otherwise he can just slide into background music.

And he deserves much, much better than that.  Thoughtful, complex singer/songwriters aren't everyone's cup of tea.  But for those who love a little depth I think they'll like this one.

Rating - *** Worth A Listen