The Showcase
Publised August 28, 2020
Daniel Rodriguez
Sojourn of a Burning Sun
By Bambi Grinder
With Sojourn of a Burning Sun, Daniel Rodriguez creates a sense of awe, of grandeur, not only in sound delivered by his smooth voice and delightful variation of instruments, but also with his lyrics. The celestial references in the title and throughout the album illustrate that simultaneous grand and humbling connection that we small things have to the universe.
It’s just me, and the universe, tonight
And together we’re going to have to make things right ~ from “A Thousand Lights”
I love hearing new music. That isn’t to say that I always love what I hear. But always I love that journey, the possibility of discovering something altogether different that speaks to me in a way nothing else quite has. I enjoy being challenged by new music, by genres and sounds outside of my musical vocabulary. I adore looking for something special, something life-affirming in music I might not otherwise hear if I didn’t open myself to the possibility of embracing and loving new sounds. To me NoteWorthy Music (NWM) has been a true gift in that way.
Joy permeates every sound.
It would have been a terrible shame if I had never heard Daniel Rodriguez. If I had never listened to the pure joy of Sojourn of a Burning Sun. It isn’t that the lyrics are joyful; they aren’t. Yet joy permeates every sound. You can hear it in every word sung. Daniel sings and plays as if it’s the greatest gift in the world that he is able to do so. There’s true passion. Something pure. It’s almost indescribable. Listen closely and you will hear it for yourself.
Photo by Molly McCormick
As I Am
A love song that captures so many feelings and experiences unique to the human condition. That moment of “Oh wow, I can’t believe I’m here with you. How did that even happen?” Wanting to capture and hold all those moments, wishing truly you had written down all the words you exchanged together. We’re not perfect. All the things we could’ve said or done, should’ve said or done. Well, we can’t go back, so here we are now, in all of our glorious imperfections. Forgive us those, forgive us our mistakes. It’s a painful process, living and loving and learning.
We’re a couple of flowers just trying to grow
Straight through the cracks of the concrete
Sojourn of a Burning Sun
I love this perfect line: The friction of the atmosphere. The more I listen to Daniel’s songs, the more captivated I become. Life beats in these songs, there is breath in their rhythms. He harkens to something primal, the beginning of all that is, and somewhere, somehow, somewhen in all of that, we are here, living and loving.
Life beats in these songs, there is breath in their rhythms.
Snowman
A fun and bluesy sound reminiscent of The Black Keys with somewhat surreal, thought-provoking lyrics. Where we start, there we also end. We are in the cycle of existence.
A star in black, he’s juxtaposed
The sun he walks in skin and bones
This is Life
My cohort here at NWM, Dale McCurry, told Daniel, “Love the horns in ‘This is Life.’ The production and orchestration on this one is spot on.”
I agree. It has a unique sound among those of this album. It is, however, the lyrics of this song that I love most, filled without fail and continuously with the joy inherent to Sojourn of a Burning Sun.
Photo by Jesse Borrell
World of Broken Hearts
“Jesus,” I literally said aloud the first time I heard “World of Broken Hearts.” Powerful song, profound lyrics that literally had tears falling from my eyes in that epic swelling music that also manages to somehow be understated in the most perfect way. That moment gave me pause, stopping me midstep in my kitchen. I love that someone wrote these words, felt these words, wanted to convey them, wanted them to be heard, desperately. Please hear them.
The Unknown
A hopeful paean that even amidst heartbreak, in the wake of devastation, choose not despair. In that time and space of uncertainty and reflection, we can overcome. We are still love. Go toward the open door, toward the possibilities that await there. A lovely conveyance for the final song.
In Daniel’s words: “This album means a lot to me by virtue of it being my first full length album as a solo artist. It’s also an album that chronicles my transition from Elephant Revival into a more autonomous creative zone. There’s many facets and realms of emotion in this album. I can listen to it all the way through without skipping a song.”
So can I. Thank you, Daniel, for Sojourn of a Burning Sun.
“Brother John” from Sojourn of a Burning Sun out today August 28. Click here for where to buy with samples.
About Daniel Rodriguez
A Colorado-based acoustic-folk singer-songwriter who was co-founder of the highly successful transcendental folk band, Elephant Revival, which went on hiatus after its third headlining gig at Denver’s renowned Red Rocks Amphitheater in May 2018. Needing to fill the musical void, Rodriguez immediately headed out on tour as a solo artist and hasn’t looked back. He’s been chosen as main support for such acts as Jim James, Gregory Alan Isakov, Mandolin Orange, Josh Ritter, Fruition, John Craigie, and many more.
To learn more about Daniel and his work and to buy stuff go here: https://www.drodriguezmusic.com/
Bambi Grinder
Writer and Editor
Co-founder/owner of NoteWorthy Music, Bambi Grinder has spent many years as a shaper of words—writing novels and short fiction (which she prefers in first-person present tense). Bambi is delighted to make this foray into the digital landscape with NoteWorthy Music as publisher, editor, writer, and web designer and developer.
You may contact her at bambi@noteworthymusic.org.
Be sure to read our 20:20 with Daniel Rodriguez
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