Ottawa-Born, Austin-Based Americana Roots Artist Sarah Burton Bares Her Soul With “Worth Sticking Around For”
Ottawa-born, Austin-based roots singer-songwriter Sarah Burton addresses the often-awkward question some women who have yet to tie the knot are often asked with the earnest, mesmerizing single “Worth Sticking Around For” off her forthcoming album Swoonville USA. It’s a track whose first half is great thanks to Burton’s lyrics describing the conundrum of not settling for second best but hoping her other half realizes just what they have in her. Meanwhile, the song’s second half is a delectable swampy roots-based instrumental romp that could go on and on.
“There comes a point in a woman’s life when family and strangers alike keep asking, ‘How come you’ve never been married?'” Burton says of the song’s inspiration, adding the inquiry about marital status “generally starts after 30” and may never stop. “There are a lot of reasons why a woman might not be married. Maybe she’s just independent and wants to keep her autonomy, maybe she doesn’t want to — or maybe nobody’s asked.”
Burton says dating after 30 often means “a lot of people are already on the second round,” namely having freshly signed divorce papers and are wary or hesitant “to sign another contract” and dive headlong into another marriage. “If you find yourself in this position, and you still want the ring and the white dress, you may have to ask yourself ‘is this worth sticking around for?'”
“Worth Sticking Around For,” written by Burton and produced and mixed by Jane Aurora, has all the trademarks of Americana greatness with a style that brings to mind Sheryl Crow, Margo Price and even Kathleen Edwards circa her Failer debut masterpiece. Not mincing words and accompanied by some exquisite work from Matt Kelly on guitar, keys and pedal steel, the song soars along effortlessly as Burton plainly states what she needs.
I’m getting tired
And I’m growing old
And my body’s got a mind of her own or so I’m told
Tired of being tough
When is enough enough
Well I’m just waiting on you to get your shit together my love
Oh baby just get it together
When the song comes to a close, the band jumps into a raucous jam that hints at a fadeout that never arrives – the faux ending results in a brilliant second half featuring Kelly, Burton, bassist Erik Nielsen and drummer/percussionist Leon Power finding one of the better grooves you’ll hear and riding it for all it’s worth. In short, it’s enough to make you swoon and, well, it’s worth sticking around for.
Burton, who was based in Toronto for roughly a decade, moved to Terlingua, Texas in 2016, and Austin, Texas in 2019. She has been a road warrior throughout her critically acclaimed career, performing around North America and averaging between 150 and 200 shows a year. She’s shared the stage with everyone from Jim Lauderdale and Susan Gibson to Big Sugar’s Gordie Johnson and roots legend Mary Gauthier. Burton has also played numerous festivals including Canadian Music Week, North By Northeast, MerleFest and Montana’s Red Ants Pants festival. Burton has five albums to her credit, including 2019’s Give Me What I Want and 2023’s 64 Magic Queens.
Now with the new single, Sarah Burton will have fans and newcomers flocking to her music. It’s worth sticking around for.
Hi Sarah! Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Happy to meet you! I’m Sarah Burton and I’m a singer-songwriter with a nomadic heart, currently based in Texas.
“Worth Sticking Around For” touches on a deeply personal and relatable experience for many women. What inspired you to write this song, and how did the idea develop?
It’s kinda like the American version of that line in Bridget Jones’ diary when she’s asked “why is it there are so many unmarried single women in their thirties these days, Bridget?” at a dinner party. Only in my case it’s at the bar in between sets and it’s a 50-year-old man saying, “how come nobody’s snatched you up yet.”
It’s a question I’ve received many different versions of over the last decade, and even though I think it’s meant in a very kind-hearted way most of the time, it’s a question that can have the effect of making someone (me) feel incomplete because I haven’t achieved this relationship status. And that’s the funny part – we do tend to see marriage as an achievement in our society, as opposed to a choice, relationship, or a contract. Congratulations, we say! Life-level un-locked! I wrote this song at a time in my life when I was being asked this question a lot, and my partner at the time was in the middle of a divorce, and not exactly keen to sign another contract.
You worked with producer Jane Aurora on this track. Can you tell us about that collaboration and how her production influenced the final sound?
Jane is meticulous, accurate, and extremely musically adept. She’s also creative and fun, and super passionate about music and sound. My fun and creativity is a little more on the chaotic side. When it comes to music, I tend to speak in metaphor, and Jane tends to speak in math – I think this creates an excellent balance – plus we’ve been friends for years, so we really understand each other and love hanging out. The end result of this collab, I think is a beautiful, cohesive, feel-good record with a lot of dynamic. We got to have a lot of fun making this record and I hope it shows.
Your music has been compared to artists like Sheryl Crow and Kathleen Edwards. How do you feel about those comparisons, and who do you see as your biggest influences?
I feel great about those comparisons and I take it as a huge compliment. As for my biggest influences, that’s always a question I struggle with because it changes all the time and there are just so many. My answer changes based on the day and time. The first music to really blow my mind as a child was Led Zeppelin. I also really loved INXS and Gowan and would sing along to hits like “Suicide Blonde” and “Strange Animal” on repeat in the private stage of my bedroom. My sister’s taste was a big influence on me too: she binged the Smiths and Morissey and she subscribed to Mint Records’ mail-out program, introducing me to all-girl alt-pop-punk bands like Cub and Shonen Knife.
When I was making this record, I was listening to a lot of Fruitbats, Jayhawks, The Shins, Jenny Lewis, and Sharon Van Etten. And I’ve always admired the songwriting of Gram Parsons and Blue Rodeo. There is just so much amazing music out there.
You’ve moved from Toronto to Terlingua, Texas, and then to Austin. How have these moves influenced your sound and songwriting, especially on Swoonville USA?
When I was a kid, every few years my parents would load up the car and drive from Toronto to Massachusetts to see our grandparents and great grandparents. I used to stare out the window and fantasize about living in a Winnebago and traveling all around. So the thing is, I like to be on the move and I love a lot of places. I do think I tend to write country songs when I’m in Texas – that music just makes sense out there – it goes with the landscape. In California I want to write pop music and make the kind of music Butch Walker would make (another big influence of mine).
This new album, Swoonville USA, has songs that were written in West Texas, Central Texas, North Carolina, Ontario, Louisiana, and the highways in between. I suppose that’s why it’s not a straight-up Country-Americana record – maybe it would have been if I had written all the songs in Texas.