Burn to Shine
Studio album by
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
ReleasedSeptember 21, 1999
GenreAlternative rock, blues rock, soul
Length54:29
LabelVirgin Records America
ProducerJean-Pierre Plunier
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals chronology
The Will to Live
(1997)		 Burn to Shine
(1999)		 Live from Mars
(2001)

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 within varying bonus material.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Pitchfork6.0/10[4]
Rolling Stone[5]
Spin7/10[6]

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.

  1. "Alone" – 3:58
  2. "The Woman in You" – 5:41
  3. "Less" – 4:05
  4. "Two Hands of a Prayer" – 7:50
  5. "Please Bleed" – 4:37
  6. "Suzie Blue" – 4:29
  7. "Steal My Kisses" – 4:05
  8. "Burn to Shine" – 3:34
  9. "Show Me a Little Shame" – 3:44
  10. "Forgiven" – 5:17
  11. "Beloved One" – 4:03
  12. "In the Lord's Arms" – 3:06

Personnel

Musicians

  • Ben Harper – guitar, vocals
  • Richard Barnes – washboard
  • Bruce Bishop – guitar
  • Jim Bogen – clarinet
  • Eve Butler – violin
  • Dean Butterworth – drums, snare drums
  • Jon Clarke – English horn, oboe
  • Joel Derouin – violin
  • Tyrone Downie – keyboards
  • Michael Fay – banjo
  • David Firman – bass guitar
  • Matt Funes – viola
  • Suzie Katayama – cello
  • David Leach – percussion
  • James Leigh – trombone
  • David Lindley – banjo, fiddle, mandolin
  • Juan Nelson – bass
  • Real Time Jazz Band
  • Nick Rich – human beatbox
  • Eric Sarafin – piano, harmonium, recorder

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
  • String arrangements: Suzie Katayama
  • Art direction: J.P. Plunier
  • Design: Tom Dolan, Mike King, J.P. Plunier
  • Photography: Annalisa
  • Illustrations: Mike King
  • Research: Ben Elder

Charts

Chart performance for Burn to Shine
Chart (1999) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[12] 42
French Albums (SNEP)[13] 2
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[14] 5
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] 34
UK Albums (OCC)[16] 82
US Billboard 200[17] 67

Certifications

Certifications for Burn to Shine
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[18] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[19] Gold 50,000^
France (SNEP)[20] Platinum 300,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[21] Platinum 15,000^
United States (RIAA)[22] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "Ben Harper | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  2. ↑ "Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals Burn to Shine (Virgin)". www.austinchronicle.com.
  3. ↑ "Burn to Shine - Ben Harper | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  4. ↑ "Burn to Shine [with the Innocent Criminals]". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  5. ↑ Berger, Arion (October 1, 2003). "Burn To Shine". Rolling Stone.
  6. ↑ "Reviews". Spin. November 12, 1999 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Joyce, Mike (November 5, 1999). "Ben Harper" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  8. ↑ "Burn to Shine". EW.com.
  9. ↑ McGarity, Neal. "Burn to Shine – Ben Harper". courant.com.
  10. ↑ "Ben Harper". Trouser Press. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  11. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals – Burn to Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals – Burn to Shine" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals – Burn to Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Charts.nz – Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals – Burn to Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals – Burn to Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Ben Harper Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  18. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  19. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Ben Harper – Burn to shine". Music Canada. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  20. ↑ "French album certifications – Ben Harper – Burn to shine" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  21. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Ben Harper – Burn to shine". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  22. ↑ "American album certifications – Ben Harper – Burn to shine". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
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