Reviews
Debra Lyn’s Blue Sun Rises Review – NewClassics.co.uk
Debra Lyn – Blue Sun Rises – Palette Records
Debra Lyn is an award-winning Americana/Folk artist and singer/songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee.
Her music roots run deep through traditional country music to bluegrass and folk and her earliest musical memories are of her Grandmother, Betty Lewis. Also singer in the Albany/Troy, New York area in the 50s, Betty gave Debra her first guitar and encouraged her musical dreams.
Blue Sun Rises is Debra Lyn’s third CD for Nashville-based Palette Records and brings together traditional music that reflects her Irish/Scottish/English heritage and intricately weaves these influences with original material. Inspired versions of songs such as the Scottish favourites The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond and The Parting Glass, a popular American Folk/Gospel song Wayfaring Stranger, and a lesser known British folk song, Billy Taylor, are included along with songs such as the title track, co-written with producer Jeff Silverman, which employs evocative storytelling to explore the universal human emotions of separation and loss.
The seven original songs written by Debra and Jeff include the irresistible opening track I Pull Me Down, featuring the Irish song ‘The Maids of Mitchelstown’, blending the new with the traditional. This musical alchemy continues throughout the CD with beautiful Love Will Never Die coupled with Irish Reel ‘The Star of Munster’, the moody Preacher Man and the traditional American song Wayfaring Stranger, complete with Irish step dancing.
The CD’s final song, Ode to Billy Taylor, was written by Debra as an ending to the original story to vindicate Billy Taylor and features a haunting melody entwined meticulously with Irish flute, cello and Uilleann pipe drones. As well as her lovely vocals, Debra Lyn plays mountain dulcimer, claw hammer banjo and electric bass, while Jeff Silverman contributes his custom-made Martin acoustic baritone guitar to the mix.
Blue Sun Rises blends traditional Irish/Scottish/British music with fresh original material to create a musical work which stands apart in the genres of Celtic and Americana/Folk music, providing a unique introduction to new audiences that also satisfies those more familiar with these styles of music. Watch the video for I Pull Me Down.