Fresh take on Southern tradition

"Y'all ready for a wild ride?" T Bone Burnett asked the audience at the start of his concert Sunday. "Let's go!"

And we were off on a fascinating journey inside the quirky mind of a musical genius. It turned out to be one of those rare concert experiences where everything was fresh, original and vital.

Backed by a top-notch four-piece band, singer-guitarist Burnett kept the intensity level high, with hard-driving rock, swampy blues and poetic ballads, some of which were spoken more than sung.

The two-hour set moved quickly, with the crowd getting more involved as it went along. By the end, they were standing and cheering.

In addition to his accent, the tall, lanky Burnett looked the part of a Southern gentleman of the old school, in a long black suit, black vest buttoned up to the neck and wide collar white shirt. He could have been an extra in "Gone With the Wind."

Burnett has a long, distinguished recording career — including producing the soundtracks to such films as "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "Cold Mountain" — and recently released a two-disc retrospective, "Twenty Twenty: The Essential T Bone Burnett." But he concentrated on tunes from his first new solo album in 14 years, "The True False Identity."

His lyrics, with their obscure historical, political and religious references, colorful characters, imaginative fantasies and clever rhymes, sung in a pleasant monotone, were captivating, But it was the tight, creative music that kept the interest level high.

Review

With Jakob Dylan, Sunday at the Moore Theatre

His band included the legendary session drummer Jim Keltner, whose energy and originality were amazing; gifted, rocking guitarist Marc Ribot; Dennis Crouch on the big, standup bass, who was outstanding, especially his "Over You" solo; and the versatile Keefus Ciancia on keyboards.

Among songs that got the audience excited were the rocking "Seven Times Hotter Than Fire," the darkly funny "Palestine Texas" and, biting the hand that feeds him, "Hollywood, Mecca of the Movies."

Burnett spoke little, occasionally dropping quick, tangy observations like, "The loss of liberty is the price we pay for freedom."

The show was opened by Jakob Dylan, Bob's son and leader of the Wallflowers, which he said would "be back before you know it." Accompanied by keyboardist Patrick Warren, Dylan sang new ballads that were smart, pleasant and beautifully performed.

He said he was enjoying playing slow, quiet ballads, and "not having to compete on stage" with electric guitars and pounding drums. Dylan and Warren later joined Burnett and his band.

Patrick MacDonald: 206-464-2312