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Rating: Shawn Mullins is an American singer-songwriter, from Atlanta to be precise, extremely gifted with great compositional technique, an ear for melody, and the author of many excellent songs. Musically, he draws from the tradition of great classics such as Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and the good old Steve Earle. Shawn is a very likable and extremely approachable character (I saw him once a few years ago at Alcatraz in Milan). Touring for just under 10 years across the States (accompanied by his dog Roadie) with only his acoustic guitar and playing in bars and venues of that rural America that surely fascinates but is known by few and made known by even fewer, Shawn brings us the stories of the people he meets. Therefore, you will find excellent insights for his lyrics, based on direct experiences and inspired by everyday life. Thanks to his wandering, in the States he is already considered by the public and critics as a cult author, well-known, and with calendars packed with live appointments that have allowed him to build an excellent artistic background.
This "Beneath the Velvet Sun" is the second album of his career and follows the successful "Soul's Core" from which (in 1998) three hit singles were extracted, one of these being the beautiful "Shimmer" which ended up in the soundtrack of the TV series "Dawson's Creek," giving Shawn a great return in image and commercially. Shawn Mullins' rock is classic American Rock, occasionally mixed or rather arranged in a quite pop way; enough to put him in heavy rotation on American radio. Furthermore, the folk-rock component or influence is strongly present in his production. That said, I emphasize that Mr. Mullins is extremely talented, with a great voice and the ability to create songs that tell stories of ordinary people, mostly those at the margins of society. In this recording episode, we move from the captivating "Up All Night" to the beautiful Folk-Rock of "Somethin' to Believe In," in a classic Shawn Mullins style. Worth mentioning are also "Lonesome I Know You Too Well," where the Mandolin and Lap Steel Guitar create very delicate and extremely sweet atmospheres supported by Shawn's seductive and deep voice. The following "I Know" is an excellent song with a great arrangement of trumpet vaguely blues and the male and female vocal pairing. "We Run" begins with a very sweet piano melody where Mullins' voice slips in, then ends in a crescendo turning into a very good rock piece. The following "North On" is distinguished by an extremely simple guitar riff, yet somewhat dark, supported by Shawn's very deep voice and an immense keyboard soundscape. A beautiful song that creates a wonderful atmosphere with its singing shifting from melodic moments to darker and more introspective ones. The following "Yellow Dog Song" picks up on the country-rock tradition, while the next "Santa Fe" is a great mid-tempo rock. The concluding mention goes to "Hold On," a song that will stick in your head for its splendid melody and the stunning arrangement of sax and trumpet supported by the fantastic sound of the B-3 organ, giving it the classic Soul-Gospel sound.
An excellent album, excellently produced and played by musicians of great caliber (among many, there's a certain Vinnie Colaiuta), this album, if you like the genre, will remain in your player for a long time.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Everywhere I Go (03:52)
A good bit of me sleeps underneath
In the bed of my soul
lying next to belief
If i toss where i lay, I may turn her away
so i try to fall still, dreaming someday i will
wake up with you beside me, with all of your love inside me
so when i am gone, it guides me on
everywhere i go
you know
I take you with me sweet darling
everywhere i go, you know
i take you with me yeah
A good bit of me keeps to the sky
on the back of a cloud
unaware of how high
if i stay where i lay, i might drift away soon
from the pull of the sun, i am full of the moon
baby your the one that grounds me
when the sounds of the worlds surround me
your love it took a look and found me
lost and on my own
eveywhere i go, you know
I take you with me sweet darling
everywhere i go, you know
i take you with me yeah
and baby i, always try
looking at life through open eyes
and baby my dream came true
with the treasure i found inside of you
Everywhere i go, you know
I take you with me sweet darling
Everywhere i go, you know
i take you with me sweet darling....
08 We Run (04:11)
in the town that i was born in
there rides a boy and a girl in love
and the answer camw ithout warnin
just like an angel form heaven above
they run down moreland into the neon night
they left the others far behind
but they can make believe even if its for just one night
and if its only in their minds
when they run
when they run
in the look love is familiar
its warms just like a summer rain
one moment falls into forever
we got the power to melt away the pain
when we run down moreland into the neon night
we left the others far behind
we can make believe even if its for just one night
and its only in our minds
when we run we lose our way
we run so hard why dont we stay
and i dont know where we will go to find our way
we run down moreland into the neon night
we left the others far behind
the land of make believe seems to be in everybodys sights
but its only in their minds
so they run
so they run
so they run
11 Santa Fe (03:50)
She was sittin' in the corner of a cafe
In the burnin' heart of downtown Sante Fe
Pickin' on a Gibson
and singin' "baby, can't you see"
She was buzzin' like a battlefield tracer
She was grindin' the gears on a pacer
I said, "Sister Bloody Mary,
Won't you do a little number for me?"
She said I'll sing you any song that you wanna hear
Just pull up a barstool and buy me another beer
Take me away, take me away from here
Take me far away, Sante Fe
He was livin' with some hippies in a school bus
They had puddered here from Boulder, covered in dust
He said I know a little lady livin' 30 miles up the road
I got a feelin' that my ride ain't gonna take me
If I don't see that little lady it will break me
Another 24 hours here
I think i just might explode
I've been doin' everything I know to try to stay free
Workin' for the man just ain't no kind of plan for me
So take me away, take me where i wanna be
Take me far away, Sante Fe
Sante Fe
I'll sing you any song that you wanna hear
It'll sound a lot better if you have yourself another beer
Take me away, take me away from here
Take me far away, Santa Fe
Santa Fe
Take me away
13 Time (02:29)
i said something wrong it never fails
it kept us up all night
but time has her own way of showing
today in a different light
friends come and they go everyone knows
thats the way it goes
but time has her own way of showing
today in a different light
dreams sometimes come true
like mine of you
when you love me like you do
time has her own means
to show us our dreams
and i'll dream of you
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