Jon Budworth - Trees Turn to Fire

This is a second EP from vocalist/acoustic guitarist, Jon Budworth, following his debut EP, Time Machine, last year. Budworth emphasises that his music is inspired by folk but, having said that, his music does have a very contemporary feel to it and the songs on the EP are a nice blend of the traditional and the modern.

Title track, Trees Turn to Fire, is a modern take on the well-rehearsed theme of homesickness and longing. It’s a wonderfully catchy opener with a memorable tune and poignant lyrics. However, Budworth’s bright, fresh-sounding vocals and lovely, melancholic guitar also work extremely well when he is tackling the more traditional material, too.

There are two traditional songs on the EP, the beautiful Searching for Lambs, one of the many songs collected by Cecil Sharp; together with Paddy’s Lamentation, a song about a young man who emigrates to America but ends up being forcibly drafted into the Civil War.

Dusty Roads is another one of Budworth’s own compositions but is inspired by his reading up on the English Civil War in Lancashire, where he is based. Again, the juxtaposition of Budworth’s fresh-sounding, contemporary delivery and the historical subject matter works extremely well.

Budworth’s music definitely deserves a wider audience and for an introduction to this talented singer song-writer, you really can’t go wrong with buying this EP.