Review: Soul/Bluesman Kevin Burt Injects Faith, Funk, and Fire in Tribute to Bill Withers

Kevin Burt & Big Medicine
Thank You Brother Bill: A Tribute to Bill Withers
(Gulf Coast Records)
4 1/2 out of 5 stars

The beauty and timelessness of the best music from singer/songwriter Bill Withers was due to his seemingly effortless ability to tell stories within a musical framework that incorporated strains of folk, blues, soul, funk, gospel, and even jazz. His unassuming, everyman voice promoted positivity, and occasionally a jilted lover’s frustration, without a hint of pretension or superficiality.

But those qualities also make it challenging for others to interpret his songs since the prototypes are so personal and bespoke. That hasn’t stopped others from trying with varying degrees of success; the most recent being soul/bluesman Kevin Burt.  

The respected Iowa-based singer/songwriter/guitarist and award-winning harmonica player gathers a dozen Withers compositions and rearranges them for a more punchy, rocking soul delivery, backed by a crackling band. Most of the usual suspects are here; “Lean on Me,” “Grandma’s Hands,” and of course “Ain’t No Sunshine,” all enduring classics covered often. Regardless, Burt delivers them with fiery hunger, getting under the lyrics and bringing a taut, propulsive approach that, while not redefining these tracks, makes them tougher and often feistier. Adding bongos into the middles of “Ain’t No Sunshine” as Burt testifies about how much he misses his lover injects a Latin feel as he sings with grit and howl only hinted at from Withers.        

Better still, he dusts off some obscurities.

The cautionary, wiry “Another Day to Run,” a jaunty, inclusive “Let Us Love” with a rollicking harmonica solo as he sings Let us help one another, help your neighbor, he’s your brother, and the story song “World Keeps Going Round and Round,” sung with grizzled authority, are Withers songs many might not recognize. Burt introduces an intimate, emotionally gripping “Hope She’ll Be Happier” with stark, supple guitar backing, and some well-placed subtle cymbal crashes, all supporting some of his most moving singing. A funked-up “Who Is He (and What Is He to You)?” (with extra dadgummit’s), featuring a guitar solo from Ken Valdez, who sparkles throughout, is worthy of The Temptations’ similarly-styled psychedelic soul years.

While “Use Me” is unaccountably MIA (it would have fit perfectly with Burt’s rugged R&B approach), that’s a small complaint considering the quality and overall vibrant performances of what’s here.

The closing “Thank You Brother Bill,” the set’s only original, finds Burt repeating some Withers’ song titles in a sweet homage that wraps up this classy, beautifully conceived tribute in a refined bow.    

Photo by Delaney Burt