Customer Reviews

Nothing But a Burning Light

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I first heard this while browsing in a "hip" music store in New Hope, PA. The first few bars of the track "Kit Carson" prompted me to inquire of the nearest clerk. I had never heard of Bruce Cockburn, but I bought the cassette on the spot. It was the instrumentation on "Kit Carson" that had caught my attention and kept my interest throughout the album. With apologies, I find the music of the Jimmy Buffet's, James Taylor's,etc boring. Not so here. The original instrumentation, great production, and intelligent, compelling lyrics were a revelation to me.

Typically eclectic collection of Mr. Cockburn's music, with lyrics that demand attention and melodies filtered through his own unique sensibilities.

One of the Best Ones and Child of the Wind are terrific songs, but, if you ask me, Cry of a Tiny Babe may be one of Mr. Cockburn's best ever. Touching, thoughtful, and riveting, it recasts the Greatest Story Ever Told in modern terms--in all its and our heartbreak and faith.

....that's how good this and Charity of Night is....I'm a long time Cockburn fan....I wore out a cassette of Dancing In the Dragon's Jaw longer ago than I care to remember. The only reason a couple of the tracks on this cd may appear a little weak is because the rest are so strong, musically and lyrically. This man gives the best live performance of any songwriter/musician/singer I've seen. If you get the chance, don't miss him. The caliber of musicians he surrounds himself with is a testament to this (these guys don't sign on with just anyone). I've never been much on listening to anyone in the arts use their fame to espouse their world view, but Bruce Cockburn keeps your ear with his music first, and I've always found the way he balances his faith with the rest of his message facinating. Buy this and Charity of Night...and share them with your children and grandchildren.

Coming as it does after Big Circumstance it is similar in style, but much better - some social, some personal songs. He benefits from some help from Jackson Browne, Jim Keltner, Larry Klein, and Booker T. Jones, and the overall production is excellent. The social and political issues he deals with are closer to home and I found the whole album more relevant and meaningful than Big Circumstance. Dream Like Mine, Soul Of A Man (a rare but well-chosen inclusion of a Blind Willie Johnson song), One Of The Best Ones, and Cry Of A Tiny Babe are highlights of his career. Then he misses it with Indian Wars. If you are new to Cockburn start with Dancing In The Dragon's Jaws, and Humans - and buy this one.

This was the first Bruce Cockburn disc I ever bought -- the first of many. I discovered in the playing of "Nothing But A Burning Light" a song-writer/musician of tremendous integrity. His lyrics are deep, rich, sincere, and poetic in every sense of the word. In combination with his carefully crafted musicality and outstanding choice of instrumentation, they articulate an artistic vision that is soul-stirring in its beauty.

I heard this tape for the first time in a bar in Bozeman in 1992, and asked who it was. I couldn't hear the words but was drawn to the music and his voice. Found the tape about a year later and played it over and over on my headphones, while pruning lilac trees in my yard on a "brown, green, and dry" mountaintop, joyfully awaiting the birth of my first child. Cockburn sang for us and I have never before felt such connection, purpose, and peace at the same time. I always wanted to tell him thank you.

Bruce is truly one of a kind!!

He makes the songs his own and I'm glad I discovered his music ten years ago. I have seven of his CD's.

I like "Indian Wars" and "Soul of Man" and "Dream Like Mine"

Cockburn is a refreshing voice in a confusing forest of commercialized music.

This is the Bruce Cockburn that has prompted me to buy many, many others & in each new purchase I seek the musical and lyrical clarity of Burning Light.

If you are hesitating; please don't pass on this one. Especially if you are intimate with the Western, not too urban, U.S & Canada. He has a lot of depth, but Bruce knows this land too.

Burning Light is musical. The lyrics (r.e. poetry) & instrumentals feed the head, the heart, & the soul. What more can you ask for?

"Nothing But a Burning Light" is perhaps Cockburn's best effort in years. While always one to present strong material and innovative music, this album may be one, with the aid of some well-deserved promotion, that could draw in more members to his crowd of loyal followers. The backup musicians include Booker T. Washington on organ and Mark O'Connor on violin. Their subtle playing enhances the songs without distracting from their unique beauty and voice. BUY THIS ALBUM, NOW!!!!

The best song is "Cry of a Tiny Babe".

CHORUS:

Like a stone on the surface of a still river, Driving the ripples on forever, Redemption rips through the surface of time, In the cry of a tiny babe

The chorus moves me in a way that only poetry can. The chorus communicates to me the concept of redemption in a way that haunts me and fills me a sense of wonder. Although I am not a devout christian, the message of Jesus in the chorus is very moving.

This is one of my favorite discs.