Revisiting T Bone Burnett's Milestone in Americana Music from the 1980s

T Bone Burnett
“T Bone Burnett”
MCA/Dot
1986

By 1986, T Bone Burnett had achieved more in the music industry than most. In the mid-seventies, he was part of Bob Dylan’s traveling show, The Rolling Thunder Review. He had released three albums with the Alpha Band, three solo LPs, and two EPs. He held production credits for projects with Delbert McClinton, the BoDeans, Maria Muldaur, and Elvis Costello, and was just getting started. He was destined to become one of the industry's most sought-after producers in the years to come and would helm projects for B.B. King, Roy Orbison, The Wallflowers, Counting Crows, Brandi Carlile, and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, to name just a few. However, in the mid-eighties, he was still working diligently to establish himself as a musician and performer in his own right.

Burnett has recorded blues, rockabilly, rock, new wave, and Americana. While loyal fans have embraced this eclectic ride, one wonders if it has negatively impacted his ability to attract a larger audience. His self-titled album, “T Bone Burnett,” is a memorable Americana collection recorded in just four days during the summer of 1986. Although worlds apart from his previous full-length rock outing, “Proof Through the Night,” it is a masterpiece in its class.

The album’s simple production, courtesy of David Miner, is open and inviting. There’s ample aural space to make you feel like you're in the room, soaking in each glorious sound. The uncluttered arrangements allow the listener to truly hear each instrument: every stellar note from Jerry Douglas's dobro and lap steel guitar, Byron Berline’s fiddle, Steve Duncan’s drums, David Hidalgo’s guitar, accordion, vocals, and 8-string bass, Jerry Scheff’s bass, and Billy Swan’s backing vocals are experienced with clarity and precision.

The album beautifully captures the rich melodic imagery of life’s joys and sorrows. Burnett’s vibrant cover of the 1951 breakthrough hit for Johnnie & Jack, “Poison Love,” soars with fiddle and dobro.

Hidalgo’s accordion breathes life into Bob Neuwirth's haunting, Poe-inspired "Annabel Lee," which is especially moving. Douglas’s steel guitar paired with Berline’s fiddle in the album’s heartfelt closer, “The Bird That I Held in My Hand,” is a sweet and touching love song that leaves a lasting impression.

The two least effective songs here are Burnett’s lyrically lazy “Oh No Darling” and a cover of Tom Waits’ “Time.” Neither seems to align well with standouts like “No Love at All,” “River of Love,” and "Annabel Lee." 

"I Remember” and “Little Daughter” are featured in vocal and instrumental versions, adding to the laid-back vibe of this outstanding album. Forty years later, I still appreciate this album, and with Burnett recording again, there’s hope for another minimalist project like this.