Danny Burns North Country

Two decades before releasing his 2018 debut, North Country -- a collaborative album filled with appearances by icons like Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, and Tift Merritt-- he kicked off his career as a traveling folksinger, logging shows on both sides of the Atlantic. He's been on the road ever since, sharpening a sound that mixes the folk traditions of his native Ireland with diverse American influences. Raised in a family of working musicians, Burns spent his childhood in the Irish county of Donegal. He grew up surrounded by singers and instrumentalists, receiving a first-class education in Irish folk music along the way. It was a communal experience, filled with folksongs that had been passed down from one generation to the next. It was never about one specific musician, he remembers. It was about listening and learning. It was about playing a song, then passing the guitar to the person beside you, and hearing them play a song, too. There was no ego involved. North Country doubles down on that communal spirit. After living in America for 19 years -- first in New York City, where he cut his teeth with a string of bar gigs, followed by stints in New Orleans, Chicago, and the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC -- Burns has shared shows with a number of acclaimed musicians who, like him, breathe new life into older sounds. North Country nods to that diverse group of friends, shining a light not only Burns himself, but also on the community he inhabits. Holly Williams, Mindy Smith, Dan Tyminski, Cara Dillon, Tim O'Brien, ChessBoxer, and Old Crow Medicine Show's Critter Fuqua all make appearances. The result is a transatlantic folk album that's both diverse and driving, filled with swooning melodies, evocative storytelling, and an elevated level of musicianship. Self-produced by the frontman himself, North Country was largely recorded at Gary Paczosa's home studio in Nashville, as well as the city's Butcher Shoppe studio.