Bonfire of Vanities

Mercy Creek | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 28, 2005)
• Original Release Date: February 28, 2005
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Mercy Creek, LLC
• ASIN: B00097FAOU
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #288,222 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Born to Rock

2. Turn to Rain

3. Ready or Not

4. Freedom

5. Treasure

6. Summer

7. Leave the Light On

8. Take it Away

9. Take Back the Time

10. I'll Find a Place

Disc: 2

1. West of Bluefield

2. Closer

3. Match and a Conversation

4. Almost

5. Sparked Fire

6. Ms Virginia

7. Hill of Fools

8. Hypnotized

9. 4th of July

10. Shadow Dance

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great album, even better in person!, December 16, 2005

By 

E. Peterson (Centreville, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bonfire of Vanities (Audio CD)

This is the most recent CD from Mercy Creek. Ever since their first CD, their music has grown and improved. They were great to begin with, and now irresistable with this current CD. My favorite song is "I'll Find a Place" (listen to it and you may figure out why). Mercy Creek calls their music "alternative folk". Many people get scared away by "folk" music, but Mercy Creek is more than a folk band. They have soul, rhythm, and Cheryl (lead singer and guitarist) can sing and play. If you've ever heard them perform live, you know what I mean. If you haven't, go see them! I highly recommend any of their CDs, especially this recent 2-CD album.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great band and great album!, December 10, 2005

By 

Megan Romer (Lafayette, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bonfire of Vanities (Audio CD)

Mercy Creek sounds like what the White Stripes only wish they could sound like. Rocking and driving with an obvious homage to their folky roots, this exciting duo is one of the few bands that would feel equally at home on the Top 40 Rock charts and on the Top 40 Folk charts.

Like most great duos, they are consistently releasing better and better albums and this, their latest, will blow you away. It's almost scary to think how good the next album will be if they stay on the same track....

4.0 out of 5 stars Great album plus a terrific live bonus disc, December 4, 2010

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bonfire of Vanities (Audio CD)

2005's Bonfire of Vanities is the fourth album from folk/roots rock band Mercy Creek, one of the best-kept secrets of the Virginia music scene. I caught one of the band's live performances back in 2000 and have been a fan ever since, even though this isn't typically my kind of music.

This album threw me for a loop when I first heard it. Bonfire of Vanities' opening track "Born to Rock" did exactly that, and is easily the band's hardest rocking song since "Drawn to the Fire" from the debut. The album soon moved back into familiar territory with the more laid back "Turn to Rain" and the serenely moving "Ready or Not." Jim Ball and Cheryl Nystrom continue to make an amazing songwriting pair, and Nystrom's voice is as soulful, emotional and powerful as ever. They're not exactly breaking any new ground here, but Bonfire of Vanities is another impressive album that's worlds better than the average mainstream rock release.

Any new Mercy Creek album is reason to celebrate, but Bonfire of Vanities offered a nice bonus in the form of a second disc full of live tracks. If you've seen Mercy Creek live, you know that they're really something special, and the songs on this disc reflect that. It's not as good as the real thing, but it's still pretty terrific!

Mercy Creek is a criminally overlooked band that could easily appeal to fans of Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Dave Matthews Band and Sheryl Crow. If you like good rock music, do yourself a favor and check this band out. Between the studio album and the live "best of" disc, Bonfire of Vanities is a great way to discover Mercy Creek.