Canadian singer-songwriter CARI BURDETT returns after a decade with “Where Is Love” from upcoming album, Don’t Forget
Out now on Bandcamp and all streaming services, “Where Is Love” heralds the return of B.C.-based singer-songwriter Cari Burdett after a lengthy recording hiatus. A gorgeous slice of pop-soul that would surely make Carole King smile, “Where Is Love” previews Burdett’s new album Don’t Forget — out Sept. 18 — seven songs that offer an intoxicating mix of styles that in the end is entirely her own.
Don’t Forget marks 10 years since Burdett’s previous album Magnolia, which paid tribute to Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Edith Piaf and other legendary female artists. Although it was nominated for Best World Album at the Western Canadian Music Awards in 2016, Cari was unable to follow it up in a timely manner due to an unexpected vocal injury. What was intended to be a short pause thus became nearly seven years of healing, reconnecting with nature, and rediscovering her relationship with her own voice and identity.
Cari has channelled all of that into Don’t Forget, her first collection of self-penned material, developed through artist residencies at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and during a retreat to the French Pyrenees. Looking back, Burdett now sees the songs as having anticipated the journey that followed. Written before the vocal injury, they became companions and teachers during the years that followed, guiding her toward a deeper understanding of her own resiliency.
“Don’t Forget is more than my first album of original songs,” Cari says. “It is the story of finding my way back to myself. These songs carried messages that I didn’t fully understand when I wrote them. Years later, I found myself living them. They reminded me that love is everywhere, in the trees, in the air, in friendship, in grief, and in the people who carry us through difficult times.”
Don’t Forget was produced by Robbie Grunwald (Donovan Woods, Jill Barber) and recorded between Union Sound in Toronto and Track and Trestle Studio in British Columbia’s Cowichan Valley. Musicians featured on the album include Dean Drouillard (guitar), Brian Kobayakawa (bass), Joshua Van Tassel (drums), Adrian Dolan (violin, viola, and string arrangements), Amy Laing (cello), as well as Grunwald on keyboards.
A graduate of McGill University and the Royal Academy of Music in London, Cari Burdett has spent more than three decades creating music and bringing people together through performance, choir leadership, vocal improvisation, mentorship, and nature-based education. As founder of Lila Music & Nature Centre in B.C.’s Cowichan Valley, she works with children, youth, families, Elders, and community members through music and nature connection programs. Her work regularly includes collaboration with Quw’utsun Elders, Coast Salish artists, and community partners, creating intergenerational arts experiences rooted in relationship, reciprocity, and respect.
By exploring themes of friendship, grief, belonging, healing, nature and love on Don’t Forget, Cari Burdett has finally created a lasting testament to both her captivating voice and ambitious musical vision.