Fevers

Paul Burch, Nashville’s honky tonk auteur and a writer of unmistakably modern but instantly classic songs, releases his new album, Fevers. Backed by his redoubtable band, the WPA Ballclub, Burch’s ninth album reveals the side of Burch most often heard on stage — intense, unbridled, and full of bravado. Fevers is a riveting and haunting mix of honky tonk, string band blues, and rock and roll grooves that defies easy categorization. It includes 10 Burch compositions along with a combustible reading of “I’m Going to Memphis,” by Memphis Slim, first heard on the Alan Lomax album, Blues In the Mississippi Night, once again connecting Burch to the deep and tangled roots that drive his sound. Fevers ranges from lyrical ballads like “Melancholy Baby” — which combines harmonium and violin into an unearthly string section — to a startling re-imagining of the folk classic “Cluck Old Hen,” which conjures a sandstorm howl of chanting feedback with the very same instruments. Tracks: Cluck Old Hen/Couldn’t Get A Witness/Straight Tears, No Chaser/Two Trains Pullin’/Ocean of Tears/Luck Ran Out/Breaking In A Brand New Heartache/(I Love )A Melancholy Baby/Give It Away/Sac Au Lait(Acadia’s Song)/Sagrada/Going To Memphis/Saturday Night Jamboree.