HEAD

Review by F. Rienbaum • CD Baby, 2001

(Excerpts previously published)

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Head is the highly anticipated full-length release from Los Angeles musician Gregg Burns. For those familiar with this talented artist (he is an acclaimed guitar player and singer), this album has been a long time coming, and I can tell you, it was well worth the wait.

To put it simply: front to back, this album kicks ass.

When new listeners are being introduced to an "unknown" artist or group, the inevitable question asked is "Who does he/she/they sound like?" In the case of Gregg Burns and Head, this is not easily answered, and that is a good thing.

Elements of hard rock, blues, alternative, progressive, and heavy funk are intertwined throughout the album in a way that is immediately recognizable, but delivered with an original and unique voice.

The album opens with "Strawman," a flat-out barnburner with a heavy guitar riff reminiscent of King's X and a funk underpinning that alludes to Lenny Kravitz (on his good days). Add a tough chorus and a burning, bluesy, wah-drenched guitar solo, and you have one of those songs you go back to hear again, even before you get to the rest of the disc (which you should).

"Straight Through My Head" keeps the hard rock/blues/funk train rolling, but in an altogether different manner, more of a Stevie Ray Vaughan-meets-Prince vibe, with driving guitars propelling the tune forward. This song rocks.

The album gets more progressive with "Time," seamlessly utilizing odd meters, and introduces some jazz/fusion flavor in "Videoctomy," with the growl of Burns' guitar lurking ominously in the background all the while.

A more relaxed, R&B feel permeates the keyboards-based "Without"; the sexy, slow burn of "Images of You" reveals yet another, more erotic facet of this artist's vision.

The strongest material, however, is the heavy stuff. "Drown," its wistful lyric driven by an absolutely crushing guitar riff, should be a hard-rock radio staple; the sparse muscularity of "Go" and its searing outro guitar lead make it one of this album's highlights.

Head is full of strong material, delivered with an intensity that never lets up. Burns sings with a powerful, distinctive voice, and there are intriguing melodies, lush harmonies, and hook-laden choruses throughout, made even more memorable by some compelling lyrics: check out "Load" one time and you'll be humming it for a week.

According to the liner notes, Burns produced, mixed, and engineered Head, in addition to writing, singing, and playing almost all the instruments here. This is a first-rate effort from a true talent. Even the artwork is cool.

Awards & Recognition

Head received the award for Best Hard Rock Album from Just Plain Folks (2003), the world’s largest independent music organization.

Selected from over 100,000 songs and nearly 8000 albums from 120 countries, the award was determined by a panel of more than 300 industry professionals.