Jonathan Burks sings, Sometimes you gotta fall apart at the seams / to know what you're stuffed with. The line is a good summation of his thinking: losing your mind can be an opportunity to find out what you're made of. Burks' flat tones and sharp philosophy are well-represented on the 12-song CD Bones of the Tree recorded in Milwaukee and produced by Palace Records veteran Colin Gagon, who backs Burks' sparse acoustic approach with inspired touches of instrumentation. Bones of the Tree collects six years worth of introspective tongue twisters and frictionless diction, in songs that catalogue the highs, lows and in-betweens of a realistically hopeful hippie-hop folkster jokester. Listening to Burks' candid, companionable contemplations offers much to think about and much to drink about, if you should happen to find yourself lost on the long walk home.

- Nick Frank