PAUL BURCH

Words of Love: Songs of Buddy Holly

paulburch.com

Buddy Holly would have turned 75 in September. While a pair of star-studded tribute albums (Rave On and Listen to Me) got most of the press, Nashville singer-songwriter Paul Burch has released a fine disc of his own saluting the late icon. Burch reaffirms the timelessness of Holly’s songs without radically altering the source material, adding and subtracting just enough to make these ’50s classics his own. On “Not Fade Away,” he and his band introduce subtle dynamic shifts, working up to Holly’s stomping Bo Diddley beat and then pulling back. On “Peggy Sue,” Burch lets the original rhythm ride, leaving his mark with a snarling guitar solo. The closing title track is simple, sweet and elegant—a love letter both from and to Holly.