T Bone Burnett: a Life in Pursuit

August 15, 2016
An exploration of a musical polyglot.Former Chicago Sun-Times music columnist and No Depression senior editor Sachs (American Country: Bluegrass, Honky-Tonk, and Crossover Sounds, 2012) views his subject as a low-profile yet indispensable innovator within a vital American idiom. As he writes, the title record producer can contain [Burnett] no more than film director could contain Orson Welles. The privacy-minded Burnett, while friendly with the author, declined to participate in a project that Sachs describes as a critical appreciation of his extensive body of work as an artist and producer, so he relies on research, earlier discussions, and interviews with collaborators. Burnett was born in 1948 in Fort Worth, Texas, raised by happy-go-lucky types who encouraged his passions. Upon graduating high school, he purchased a crude recording studio and helped make a lost classic LP of underground rock, confirming his ambition and restless creativity. After moving to Los Angeles, he was soon drafted into Bob Dylans Rolling Thunder Revue; though he disliked the spotlight, the touring experience instilled deep community values in Burnett. He also became devoted to countercultural Christianity, explored in three 1970s albums with the Alpha Band, which won acclaim but not sales. Simultaneously, Burnett developed a reputation among aspiring musicians as a bold, exacting producer, which led to success in the 1980s for artists like Los Lobos, Peter Case, and the BoDeans. Burnett pursued collaborative relationships with iconoclasts like Sam Shepard and Elvis Costello, but periodic solo efforts underperformed. As he told Sachs about one acclaimed effort, I was writing about self-deception and deceiving myself while I was doing it. Burnett then transformed the popularity of film soundtracks through his work with the Coen Brothers, adding depth (and profitability) to their surrealistic vision. Sachs writes clearly and confidently about music production and the industry, and he ably captures the personalities and sometimes-contentious viewpoints of Burnett and his circle. However, the focus on Burnetts role as a top-shelf producer makes the perspective feel slightly narrow. Intriguing, slightly impersonal catalog of a soulful masterminds accomplishments.

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

An exploration of a musical polyglot.Former Chicago Sun-Times music columnist and No Depression senior editor Sachs (American Country: Bluegrass, Honky-Tonk, and Crossover Sounds, 2012) views his subject as a low-profile yet indispensable innovator within a vital American idiom. As he writes, "the title 'record producer' can contain [Burnett] no more than 'film director' could contain Orson Welles." The privacy-minded Burnett, while friendly with the author, declined to participate in a project that Sachs describes as a "critical appreciation of his extensive body of work as an artist and producer," so he relies on research, earlier discussions, and interviews with collaborators. Burnett was born in 1948 in Fort Worth, Texas, raised by "happy-go-lucky types" who encouraged his passions. Upon graduating high school, he purchased a crude recording studio and helped make a "lost classic" LP of underground rock, confirming his "ambition and restless creativity." After moving to Los Angeles, he was soon drafted into Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue; though he disliked the spotlight, the touring experience "instilled deep community values in Burnett." He also became devoted to countercultural Christianity, explored in three 1970s albums with the Alpha Band, which won acclaim but not sales. Simultaneously, Burnett developed a reputation among aspiring musicians as a bold, exacting producer, which led to success in the 1980s for artists like Los Lobos, Peter Case, and the BoDeans. Burnett pursued collaborative relationships with iconoclasts like Sam Shepard and Elvis Costello, but periodic solo efforts underperformed. As he told Sachs about one acclaimed effort, "I was writing about self-deception and deceiving myself while I was doing it." Burnett then transformed the popularity of film soundtracks through his work with the Coen Brothers, adding depth (and profitability) to their "surrealistic vision." Sachs writes clearly and confidently about music production and the industry, and he ably captures the personalities and sometimes-contentious viewpoints of Burnett and his circle. However, the focus on Burnett's role as a top-shelf producer makes the perspective feel slightly narrow. Intriguing, slightly impersonal catalog of a soulful mastermind's accomplishments. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2016
Burnett, though not quite a household name, is among the most important figures on the pop-music scene. Many readers will know the music he produced for the television series Nashville and True Detective and as producer of the O Brother, Where Are Thou? soundtrack. Veteran journalist and music-writer Sachs presents the first book devoted to Burnett's career, a critical appreciation rather than a biography, though he does illuminate Burnett's background, the source of his nickname, and his restless spirit. Sachs covers Burnett's career as a singer-songwriter (his 1982 hit Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend is a pop-music treasure) as well as his collaboration with John Mellencamp and Stephen King on the musical Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, his role in Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue, and his contributions to the soundtracks of The Big Lebowski, Cold Mountain, and Crazy Heart. With a list of Burnett's many musical associates, Sachs' fine book is a welcome addition to the living history of American music and a delightful read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

Starred review from October 15, 2016

Record producer, singer/songwriter, and film and television soundtrack designer Burnett's work has influenced and in some ways defined American music in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Longtime popular music critic Sachs, whose outstanding work in the alt-country magazine No Depression deserves its own volume, tells Burnett's story and deftly analyzes his output in this work. The account is filled with such Burnett milestones as his Grammy Award-winning soundtrack for the Coen Brothers film O Brother, Where Art Thou? and collaborations with Jakob Dylan, Bob Dylan, Los Lobos, Sam Phillips, and Counting Crows. Written without Burnett's participation, the book is nonetheless authoritative. Appendixes annotating his frequent collaborators and a select discography are invaluable. Sachs's coverage of Burnett's film and television work details his methods and astutely evaluates his achievements in these media. A particular highlight is the author's consideration of his subject's contributions to the HBO series True Detective. VERDICT A much-needed critical biography of an influential artist by a superior critic of the genre.--John Frank, Los Angeles P.L.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.