Sam Burchfield

The title of Sam Burchfield’s latest album, Nature Speaks, is both a statement of belief and an instruction: to listen carefully, to feel the world move through you, and to heed its loving nudge. Recorded in just five days at Studio 1093 in Athens, Georgia with co-producers and collaborators Ryan Plumley and Jason Kingsland, the upcoming album is Burchfield’s most stripped-down and spirit-forward to date. The theme of commitment glitters throughout Nature Speaks. Standout single “Stay (Betty Blue)” is a tender and arresting tune of devotion, a vow of stability against wavering mental health and the general fragility of life. Burchfield wrote it for his wife—a musician, painter and poet—on their anniversary. “You don’t know what you’re going to have to confront when you enter a relationship. We all have different battles to fight.” In his sandy, evocative vocals, he makes the colorful promises that account for real love: And if you get lost on the other side, I’ll plant roses in your mind / If you go mad and hurt yourself, I can lick your wounds until you're well. Burchfield’s sixth release is a source of sacred calm in an overwhelming world, a generous invitation into a rooted life: a family’s unconditional love, a hometown’s soothing mountainscape, a sturdy salvation in knowing who you are. “Capturing and connecting with humanity is why I make music,” says Burchfield. “This album is more human than anything I’ve done before.”