Sam Burton’s last album, Dear Departed, arose from a time of rebirth. In the last few years, Burton basically started over. There’s a freedom in leaving everything behind, and Burton embarked on a wandering phase. Along the way, he was writing songs. Following his 2020 debut I Can Go With You, Dear Departed was something of a reintroduction after a period of transition and transformation. He joined up with producer Jonathan Wilson to craft a more intricate, layered sound that recalled the lived-in yet immediate singer-songwriter albums of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Wilson helped Burton achieve a sound that didn’t descend into retro pastiche, but rather became an evocative echo, a dream of the past. From the production to the performances to Burton’s core compositions, there’s a timelessness across Burton’s catalog, exploring themes of love, loss, and personal transformation.