After several years circulating homemade cassettes on labels like Chthonic and embraced by blogs like Cassette Gods, Sam has recorded his first proper debut album with producer Jarvis Taveniere (Purple Mountains, Woods). With a high-lonesome wail that recalls Roy Orbison’s, the Salt Lake City singer and songwriter Burton, who recently relocated to L.A., taps into an old, weird Americana sound filled with echo and longing. Issued by the crucial folk imprint Tompkins Square, Burton’s debut album offers 11 emotionally deep, expertly produced country-rock songs, each with a timelessness that belies their newness.