Danny Burns' Defectors, Grace and Mercy, CD Review

I recently came back from a trip to Ireland where it is rude to talk while the band is playing. It was an amazing experience and a significant change from the US music scene. So I was intrigued when I found Danny Burns' Defectors, a rootsy, folky, rockin' kind of band with an Irish front man currently living in the US. Their CD, Grace and Mercy, is filled with an endless variety of soulful, acoustic based and lyrically rich songs that I enjoyed listening to.

Grace and Mercy opens with the tune, "Sweet Poetry." It starts off as a light rhythmic acoustic tune backed by subtle organ, but it quickly begins to jam out with more and more energy, until you almost get the feeling you're watching the band at a club during one of their strongest performances. Recording artists know that capturing a live vibe on a recording isn't easy. The band and the producer (2-time Grammy winner John Ginty) should be proud of the recording they got with this song.

Shifting gears a bit is the next tune, "Hell's Fire." It's a head-bobbin', thumping, acoustic roots rock tune with some interesting instrumentals between the verses. Could that be an accordion over heavily reverberated guitar? I'm not quite sure what the team had in mind with the between-verse instrumentals. However, it is an innovative sound, and the band still keeps a good groove. Pleasingly, the verses always come back with the same strong and pounding acoustic thump that the song opened with.

One of the most lyrically strong tunes in this collection is, "Children of the Revolution." Burns' words are strong, colorful, and full of imagery as they are in all of his songs. On, "Children of the Revolution," he sings through his thick Irish accent, "Oh children of the revolution don't be silent tonight / for I feel the love and fire that burns deep inside." He also uses some vocal scales which I've never heard before. Not knowing my Irish music history, it would be a stretch for me to assume that's where the scales came from. But I'd be willing to bet a buck. 

I wish I was closer to these guys to see them live. I bet they put on a great show. It's tough to get their live vibe from this CD, as Danny Burns' Defectors and their producer Jon Ginty experiment with a very wide array of songwriting and production styles. Personally, I feel their strength lies in the folkier of the tunes. Not because Burns is Irish, but because he has great lyrics and a unique voice that is really interesting to listen to. However, they also proved in this collection that they can really rock out when necessary. If you're ever around Chicago, where they are currently gigging frequently, I recommend checking them out.

Artist Website: www.myspace.com/dannyburnsmusic