Amani Burnham – Roots & Wings
Blind Pig Records – 2026
12 tracks
There will inevitably be Jimi Hendrix comparisons for Amani Burnham his whole career. If you’re favorably compared to one of the best ever, that’s probably a good start. Burnham was signed to Blind Pig Records one year ago. He recorded his debut album at Carriage House Studios in October and will release Roots & Wings on May 29. Four of the 12 songs are already available as singles on the streaming platforms. 11 of the 12 are originals (10 co-written with producer Jeff Schroedl). Burnham was born in Ethiopia, adopted young, and raised in Middletown, Connecticut. On the title track, he refers to his heritage and ascendance. The prodigious talent is only 20 years old. He plays a Stratocaster with his right thumb instead of a pick, which gives a little bit of a warmer feel to the solos. The timbre of his soulful vocals and incendiary guitar playing certainly echo Hendrix and he even slips a “kiss the sky” lyric into the title track with a wink. He also adopts the power trio formation with Ray Hangen on drums and Matt Raymond on bass to revisit that psychedelic era of the blues. It is a little eerie, you almost want to sing “Stone Free” or “Crosstown Traffic” to some of the tunes. But there’s no doubt Burnham can sing, play, and write and he has a bright future.
On the lead track, Burnham sets the tone with a seriously smokin’ ear-opening Stevie Ray-eque instrumental “Fastlane”. He slips seamlessly from a clean rhythm tone on the verses to dirty solos on “I Wanna Know”. In the lyrics, he’s reaching and wondering. He wants to know if he can make a difference in the world and if love is really all we need. “The Last Thing I Remember” is a slow burner in a traditional blues structure that is really just a vehicle for a few searing, in-your-face guitar solos. “Sideways Thru Time” picks up the pace a little, adds some percussion, and has echoes of the late, great Jeff Healey. The whole band really cooks on “Bluejay”. Burnham wraps the album with a 7:54 long version of the Elmore James tune “Bleeding Heart” that Hendrix also performed.
As debut albums go, this one is particularly strong and will likely be nominated for blues awards. It’s going to take a while to displace it from this reviewer’s CD carousel. You can tell Burnham is an old soul. He’s absorbed Jimi, Muddy, Cream, Beatles, the Austin scene, and other forefathers to come up with his own thing. “Blues, like nature, has to keep evolving,” Burnham said recently, “You can trace heavy metal, prog rock, grunge, everything back to it. I want to be part of that evolution.” Amani has a handful of shows booked across the U.S. this summer, including Joe’s Pub in New York on June 2. He’s bound to be a popular and exciting performer on the blues festival and club circuit. Burnham has more than 200,000 social media followers, which helps promote the music to a new generation. This is one of those “I saw him when” moments of which to take advantage.
