Burn to Shine (album)
1999 studio album by Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Burn to Shine is an album by Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, released in 1999 on Virgin Records America.[1][2] Harper's fourth album, it shows him working within many different genres, including blues, rock, soul, and folk. The songs "Steal My Kisses" and "Suzie Blue" became successful on college radio. Like most other Harper albums, different versions were released in different regions with varying bonus material.
| Burn to Shine | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 21, 1999 | |||
| Genres | Alternative rock, blues rock, soul | |||
| Length | 54:29 | |||
| Label | Virgin Records America | |||
| Producer | Jean-Pierre Plunier | |||
| Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Burn to Shine | ||||
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Critical reception
The Washington Post wrote that "while the songs are seldom as interesting as the album's textured instrumental weave, Harper deserves credit for trying to break free of the cliches that have a stranglehold on the blues."[7] Entertainment Weekly considered the album to be "mostly made up of leaden rootsy excursions."[8] The Hartford Courant wrote that the album tackled "an overload of musical niches."[9] Trouser Press called Harper "a thinking man's Lenny Kravitz".[10]
Track listing
All songs written by Ben Harper.
- "Alone" – 3:58
- "The Woman in You" – 5:41
- "Less" – 4:05
- "Two Hands of a Prayer" – 7:50
- "Please Bleed" – 4:37
- "Suzie Blue" – 4:29
- "Steal My Kisses" – 4:05
- "Burn to Shine" – 3:34
- "Show Me a Little Shame" – 3:44
- "Forgiven" – 5:17
- "Beloved One" – 4:03
- "In the Lord's Arms" – 3:06
Personnel
Musicians
- The Innocent Criminals
- Ben Harper – vocals, guitars
- Juan Nelson – bass
- Dean Butterworth – drums
- David Leach – percussion
- Guest musicians
- Tyrone Downie – keyboards (2, 9)
- Eric Sarafin – harmonium (4), piano (11)
- The Real Time Jazz Band (6):
- Nick Rich – human beatbox (7)
- Suzie Katayama – string arrangement, cello (11)
- Joel Derouin – first violin (11)
- Eve Butler – second violin (11)
- Matt Funes – viola (11)
- Jon Clarke – oboe, English horn (11)
- David Lindley – banjo, mandolin, fiddle (12)
Production
- Producer: J.P. Plunier
- Engineers: Eric Sarafin, Dan Steinberg
- Assistant engineer: Dan Steinberg
- Mixing: Eric Sarafin
- Mixing assistant: Steve Gamberoni, Geoff Walcha
- Mastering: Dave Collins
- Art direction: J.P. Plunier
- Design: Tom Dolan, Mike King, J.P. Plunier
- Photography: Annalisa
- Illustrations: Mike King
- Weissenborn research: Ben Elder
Charts
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] | 2 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[12] | 42 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[13] | 21 |
| French Albums (SNEP)[14] | 2 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[15] | 5 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] | 34 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts)[17] | 82 |
| US Billboard 200[18] | 67 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[19] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[20] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[21] | Platinum | 300,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[22] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[23] | Gold | 500,000^ |
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* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||