The notion of rebellion and general protest in music seems to have reached new heights in the last five or so years. Donald Trump's ascension to Presidency in the US sparked an incredible response from music communities as a divided America sought to comprehend its new place within the global landscape; the events following Harvey Weinstein's downfall sparked an explosive and fiery debate about women's place in society with countless impassioned voices coming through; the death of George Floyd at the hands of arresting police officers, again, held a mirror up to America forcing it to address some serious questions about the very nature of its own soul.
In 1971, Marvin Gaye asked the question 'What's Going On?' in the way that other soul luminaries including Gil Scott-Heron and Curtis Mayfield has in their respective ways. Maybe that's a question we as a society are forever destined to ask in regards to the governments and politics that influence and dictate our everyday lives and in 2025, it's George Burton who stands atop the soapbox to ask that very same question.
The release of Burton's fourth full-length album in 'White Noise' stands as a bold statement of intent for the pianist, composer and bandleader. As a highly-decorated and highly-educated artist, Burton's music has always strived to present an honest depiction of himself as much as how he perceives the world around him. From his Derrick Hodge-produced debut 'The Truth Of What I Am > The Narcissist' (2016), Burton's honesty is laid out through a sensational release. Establishing himself almost immediately as a boundlessly creative and imaginative artist, Burton's perspectives on his music respectfully hark back to jazz's architects while still envisioning a genre whose story is still very much unwritten - through his debut and his subsequent follow-up in 'Rec·i·proc·i·ty' (2020), Burton's distinct perceptions of jazz owe as much to neo-classical stylings as they do to hip-hop.
The release of 'White Noise' seeks once again to re-envisage the rule book through a fairly at times abrupt stance. 'Abrupt'... but not in a combative sense... sometimes a stark truth can seem abrupt but it's no less a truth that needs to be heard and the type of truth that isn't always easy to have to divulge. Which brings us back to the honesty that listeners have now come to expect from Burton as an artist - it's an incredibly rare reverence to cultivate and one that comes with a tremendous weight of responsibility.
Across the fourteen tracks that comprise 'White Noise', Burton's message is delivered through some outstanding production that interweave a fascinating aural collage of music, sound clips, poetry and guest vocalists through styles that veer from jazz to hip-hop and electronica-tinged textures. Burton is further backed by an extensive list of long-time friends and collaborators including bassists Derrick Hodge and Junius Paul, trumpeter Marquis Hill, saxophonist Chris Lewis and vocalists including Siya Makuzeni and Alexa Barchini.
'White Noise' is an incredible project. An album that is both a reckoning and a release and while it carries on the lineage of music that bravely asks 'what's going on?', Burton understands that part of that answer comes from deep introspection as much as through the words and actions of others.
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