Meet Jack Burns, a multi instrumentalist and songwriter out of rural NC. 

Early life

As a total natural with a keen ear and matching dexterity, Jack was picking up instruments left and right from early childhood. His house was filled with pianos (yes, more than one) guitars, drums, and the atmosphere provided the perfect kindling for his talents to grow.

Jack grew up with extensive musical knowledge as well. It’s no surprise there’s an actual juke box that sits near the back door of his home. Among all the greats and the lesser known, Prince became one of Jack’s influences.

This led to Jack eventually producing and recording his own songs, experimenting with different sounds and paving his own way musically. In his teen years, Jack started playing out live at all kinds of gigs speckled throughout NC, performing was becoming second nature.

“Nowhere & 19” | Debut album

“Nowhere & 19” was released at 19 by Jack himself.

• A knock out debut that kicks off with “Jen”, a synth pop feel-good groove with funky guitars and fresh, falsetto vocals on the chorus.
• Track 2 “Say Goodbye” features bluesy vocals throughout the verse, breaking into a shuffle chorus with great pop sensibility and weaving synths dancing on top.
• Jack creates a spacious atmosphere in the following, “Heartbreak of Hope” while “Sunshine” really brings on the soul.
• “Marigold” is the anthemic, guitar driven piece with a totally infectious chorus line and tangential harmonies that you’ll have stuck in your head for days.
• “Happy Birthday” is a fun moment that breaks into the moodier “Gone” with a cool 90’s percussive vibe and spacious synths.
• “Doesn’t Really Matter to Me” is a chill ballad that has a nice melodic pivot of a pre chorus, bringing us into another catchy chorus. Lots of great ear scratches here.
• “Say So” has a more live feel with acoustic drums, leading into a tambourine fueled pep set up to the beautiful  chorus.
• “Learn to Lie” gives us a sultry guitar line to set up the mood. The background vocals on the chorus are fantastic along with the rhythmic variation into the second half of the chorus.
• Closing with “Nowhere & 19” opens with a Fleetwood Mac-esque vibe with Chris Cohen style vocals, leading us to another anthemic statement about that pivotal age where the whole world is out in front of you, wondering what’s next.

This album is a very impressive first statement by Jack that really shows his abilities to craft great grooves, hooks, and depth of sounds. Not to mention the great vocals and instrumentation.

What’s next for Jack?

It’s been 3 years since Jack’s last album, and the exciting news is that we’ve got a new one coming VERY soon!  In our latest interview, he explained how the new material has a more rock feel with some new expression that we haven’t yet heard. Based on what we know about Jack, we can expect another impressive evolution and we are SO anticipating this new work! Stay tuned for more!

Streaming now on rBeatz Radio at rBeatz.com.