ARTIST: Blue Merle
TITLE: Burning In The Sun
LABEL: Island
GENRE: Rock
BITRATE: 199kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 51min total
RELEASE DATE: 01 Feb 2005
RIP DATE: 15 Dec 2004

Track List

01. Burning In The Sun              4:07
02. If I Could                      4:57
03. Lucky To Know You               4:18
04. Stay                            3:41
05. Every Ship Must Sail Away       4:25
06. Boxcar Racer                    3:27
07. Made To Run                     4:47
08. Seeing Through You              5:16
09. Places                          4:45
10. Part Of Your History            4:03
11. Either Way It Goes              4:44
12. Bittersweet Memory              3:25

Blue Merle is a band that doesn’t simply defy expectations; it renders them irrelevant. Despite its mostly acoustic instrumentation, the band is well practiced at the art of catching an audience unawares and transporting it to a place of pure rock pleasure. It’s a trick they’ve honed through heavy roadwork, whether opening for the likes of J.J. Cale, Badly Drawn Boy and Jem, or playing festivals ranging from Farm Aid to Bonnaroo, and perfect with their Island debut, Burning in the Sun.

Between the scruffy sweetness of Luke Reynolds’ rough, expressive tenor and the orchestral richness of the band’s intricate arrangements, Burning in the Sun is an album that is easy to get lost in. Produced by Stephen Harris (U2, Dave Matthews Band, Kula Shaker), its sound is immediately inviting and disarmingly nuanced. Some songs, such as the string-drenched “Every Ship Must Sail Away” and “If I Could,” are lush with harmony and emotional portent, while others particularly the insinuatingly propulsive “Boxcar Racer” and “Either Way It Goes” bubble over with rhythmic energy and melodic allure. Throughout, the
music carries the sort of inventiveness and depth of feeling found only in the best rock songwriting.