Daylight

Duncan Sheik | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 27, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B00006F850
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,585 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Originally written off as a nonthreatening rejoinder to Jeff Buckley, Duncan Sheik has quietly redeemed himself since his self-titled 1996 debut. Trading in the airy detachment of previous releases for a more immediate sound, the New York singer-songwriter's fourth album fizzes with electronics, distortion, and a newfound pop sensibility. Producer Patrick Leonard (Madonna, Jewel, Elton John) keeps things bright and breezy, forcefully shaking Sheik's predisposition for Nick Drake-style moodiness on wonderfully optimistic numbers like "On a High" and "Start Again." But the most surprising twist comes from "On Her Mind," cowritten with Mick Jones of Foreigner, a track that fully dramatizes Sheik's desire to breathe new life into his folk-rock roots. --Aidin Vaziri

Product Description

Aussie edition of the alternative singer/songwriter's 2002 album includes one bonus track, 'Lost On The Moon'. Atlantic. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Like It in the World, October 12, 2002

By 

Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daylight (Audio CD)

I admit it. I'm addicted to the music of Duncan Sheik. This fabulous singer-songwriter continually grows as an artist and never ceases to amaze me. His thought-provoking lyrics and smooth vocals are both soothing and inspiring.

With "Daylight," Sheik has done it again. The mid-tempo "Genius," in which he declares, "I really blew it," kicks off the album with a tongue-in-cheek start. "Half-Life" is the tune from which the title was drawn; the beautiful violin arrangement engulfs you as the song builds. The heartbroken "Start Again" (Peace has lost / Its meaning) is a stark contrast from "On Her Mind," in which he wonders if he should have expressed his feelings to the girl he had his shy eye on. "Such Reveries," a lyrical piece that offers dreamscapes and escapism, is not alone among my favorite tracks on this album but one of my all time favorite songs by Duncan.

Halfway through, we are offered the first single, the bouncy and instantly catchy "On a High" (You're the sea / And the sky / And the blue that runs through it). Anyone having a bad day cannot help but be cheered up by this delightful song. Anyone who worries about what (rather, who) is being promoted on newsstands will enjoy the story behind "Magazines." Somewhere, someone is playing "For You" at their wedding - what a beautiful testament to love. "Good Morning!" reminds us that you cannot soar with eagles when you work with turkeys. "Memento" is insightful; your heart goes out to the broken girl he details in this moody track. Keep the album playing after "Shine Inside," and you'll be happily surprised by a hidden track.

I have forgotten what the "forward" button is for on my CD player. There is no track which should be skipped on this album. It plays like one lovely story from start to finish. It is emotional without being sappy, realistic without being pessimistic.

What are you waiting for? Hurry now -- it's time to see the "Daylight."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS IS ONE OF THE FINEST ALBUMS FROM LAST YEAR, May 11, 2003

By 

J. Taylor "chicoeldivo" (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daylight (Audio CD)

... and it continues to burn like the very best "sleeper" hits.

Blinding lead single and should-have-been-a-hit, On a high, is the first reason to get this fourth album from alternative pin-up Duncan Sheik. A recent No.1 on the club charts -thanks to dramatic dance remixes, High is Sheik's pop-iest, most radio-ready track to date -even bolder and brighter than his breakthrough top 40 hit Barely Breathing. However, there is a lot more than that on this 13 track set.

Every song here radiates with quirky beauty and Sheik's spirit for good songwriting. As he did with Jewel on her Spirit album, Producer extraordinaire Patrick Leonard has helped Sheik sound more focused with a stronger, bolder production that has opened the songs up without compromising Sheik's low-key, meandering style. The almost-whispered Memento, a classic Sheik track, would never have hit the radar had it appeared on previous albums but here it shimmers with soul thanks to funky beats and a playful guitar.

Inspired by love and bouyed by bright lyrics and the mostly upbeat production, Sheik has never sounded better. Saving the best to last, the brilliant Shine Inside leaves you desperate for more with it's ode-to-the-power-of-love chorus and soaring strings. Then hold on for the moody bonus gem Chimera, tagged on to the end of Track 12, and spend the extra $s on this Australian edition to get the dreamy, achingly beautiful fan favourite, Lost on the moon; it's worth it.

Infectious tracks like Genius (never came through), Start Again and Magazines are primed just right for radio play and, as John Mayer and Rob Thomas has proved, there IS a top 40 demand for good songs like these. Indeed, in a just world, Duncan would have his own Any Given Sunday. In the very best sense, this album is a NON-RISK disc; try it, love it as much as I do and tell your friends.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's the most beautiful album he's made..., February 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Daylight (Audio CD)

I'll admit I hated this album the first time I listened to it. I bought it because I'm a huge fan of Duncan Sheik and I liked "On A High" enough to want the extended version. Like a good, devoted fan though, I ripped the CD and threw it in my playlist and waited for songs to appear out of the shuffle. Sure enough, the first one was "Shine Inside" which is just a beautiful balad that really got to me; the guitar! the chorus "Well I can see SHINE inside..." It sounds gorgeous. For the next few weeks, that's the song I couldn't get enough of.

But a couple weeks later, I came back to the computer just as "For You" broke into the piano at ~1:50. That ten seconds of sheer gorgeousness had me hooked. The same happened with "Good Morning!" at the end where he starts with the "La la la la." I've noticed (with songs like "Wishful Thinking" and one on this album -- "Start Again") that Duncan Sheik is *incredible* at making those little ditties right in the middle or at the end of average songs that just make them unbelievable.

"Start Again" gew on me. "On Her Mind" I think is wonderful when it breaks into the chorus. "Genius" is beautiful at the beginning. "Half-Life" has a wonderful chorus.

My point is that all the tracks have their moments. Just let the album breathe. Accept Duncan as someone who's not trying to write this super duper pop "everything's a single" album and enjoy his commitment to originality. Adjusting to that takes time.