It's all in how you look at it. Or where you look at it. Or maybe, just maybe, it's in whether or not you're able to look through it.

"The idea that good things come around, following in their seasons just like the bad things in life, was news to me," says Bryan Duncan, ruminating on the inspiration for his latest pop soul offering, Blue Skies. As the title suggests, Blue Skies is about what happens when you've climbed that long, dark staircase up from the cellar and emerged suddenly into the wide open spaces and clear light of day. Duncan's journey through the shadows of personal pain was partially documented in song on his previous efforts, Mercy and Slow Revival. And while Blue Skies is in no way a sugar-coated denial of life's rough edges, it nonetheless provides a portrait of a man who has stumbled upon a reservoir of peace, faith and joy even in the midst of his perseverance.

"We tend to get locked into a pattern of seeing things a certain way," Bryan reflects. "Our circumstances begin to narrow our vision. I've been reading a book that speaks of an artist's ability to capture images of beauty in even the worst situations. It just depends on how you see it, how you frame it. But that's true in life as well as in art. To see the clearing in the clouds, to see the sunlight streaming through, you have to look at something besides your feet. Blue Skies is about learning to look up again."

None of which is to say that Blue Skies isn't also very much about what Bryan Duncan has always been about - namely his trademark, infectious, groove-oriented, blue-eyed soul delivered with passion, emotion and precision.

"People always ask if a new album is going to sound really different," Bryan laughs, "like it's a bad thing to keep singing a style of music you really enjoy. Listen, if a song has a solid lyric, a great groove, and it makes you feel good while you're driving down the highway, then I'm there."

Stylistically mature and musically sophisticated, the eleven songs that comprise Blue Skies are at the same time thoroughly melodic and listenable. Numerous textures and key changes slide by unnoticed, oiled by Duncan's liquid vocals, sometimes creating the illusion of song structures much simpler than they really are. The overall effect is sublimated so that movements come and go, pass through and change without announcing themselves. On Blue Skies, the song, not the structure, is king - and the vocals, as always for Duncan, are the crown.

"I set out to find some different textures for my voice this time around," Bryan relates, referring to the recording process. "Listening to some of my older stuff I started asking, 'Why am I screaming all the time? That's starting to sound a little obnoxious!' So I sang these songs in a more relaxed style. The end result is 'dustier,' fuller and a whole lot more personal."

Running the gamut from plaintive, heartfelt ballads to soulful mid-tempo numbers to upbeat tunes reminiscent of James Brown in his heyday, the songs of Blue Skies reveal Duncan as a consummate vocalist and performer at the top of his craft. Standout cuts include the haunting desert night feel and clever phrasing of "Turnin'," the Al Green/Marvin Gaye old-school-soul sound of "One Touch Away," and the smooth hooks and bright artistry of the title cut "Blue Skies." Bryan's personal favorite, however, is the least fettered of the bunch - an explosive, horn-laden number titled "Joy Is A Singable Thing."

"At the core of my being, that song is me," Bryan states. "There's not a more exciting song to perform live. "Joy Is A Singable Thing" has what I would call a 'vicious' groove, and it allows a real exuberance to surface in me when I sing it."

After completing Slow Revival in 1994, Duncan took an extended period of time out to record a Yuletide album entitled, Christmas Is Jesus and Quiet Prayers, a worship album for the highly acclaimed My Utmost For His Highest series. While he enjoyed the added diversity of these two projects, the long season away from his own songs left him chomping at the bit to make another "Bryan Duncan" record.

"Quiet Prayers was good for me because it helped me to begin to let go of some of the angst and anger I had been carrying around inside," Bryan reveals. "Something about singing songs of worship directly to God can open you up in that way. But when it was finally time to start working on Blue Skies I was ready. My eagerness to get back to what I enjoy most couldn't be held at bay indefinitely. I'm never satisfied with past work anyway. I'm always restless in an artistic sense. Every day I question what I'm doing. I think the fact I've been in the business of singing to people for so long is a testimony to the fact that this is my calling. To me, it's still the greatest thing in the world and where the greatest enthusiasm for living comes from."

Blue Skies, Bryan Duncan's tenth solo album since the demise of Sweet Comfort Band in 1984, reveals the heart of a man whose enthusiasm is definitely on the upswing. "There's a song on Blue Skies called "After This Day Is Gone," he states. "The lyric says, 'After this day is gone, I still believe there's a place in your heart for me. Long after all the damage is done, there's still a place in your heart for me.' I love singing that. There was a time not too long ago when I didn't know if I really believed that or not. But it's one of those situations where you write a lyric that's true, and you begin to sing it, and the more you sing it the more you believe it. I guess that's probably called faith."

FROM THE OFFICAL WEBSITE

To Order Your Favorite Stuff Please Follow The Link Below