Duncan Sheik Humming

Rare & Hard-To-Find Audio CDs (series)

Personnel: Duncan Sheik (vocals, acoustic, nylon string, electric, slide, baritone, resonator, & steel string guitars, harmonium, synthesizer); Simon Hale (conductor); Gerry Leonard (acoustic & electric guitars); Abdellah Miry (violin); Jaron Lanier (alto flute, Hu Lu Si); Rupert Hine (piano, harmonium); Jeff Allen (acoustic, Mexican 6-string acoustic, electric, 5-string fretless & 5-string fretted basses); Mark Plati (bass); Jay Belrose, Matt Johnson (drums); Trevor Morais (bass drum); Juliet Prater (bodhran, percussion); Spooky Ghost (loops); The London Session Orchestra.

Principally recorded at El Cortijo, Andalucia, Spain and Warm Pod, New York, New York.

Personnel: Duncan Sheik (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, harmonium); Gerry Leonard (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); London Session Orchestra (strings, flute, clarinet); Jaron Lanier (alto flute); Rupert Hine (piano, harmonium, background vocals); Jeff Allen (acoustic bass, 6-string bass); Matt Johnson (drums); Trevor Morais (bass drum); Juliet Prater (bodhran, percussion).

Audio Mixer: Bob Clearmountain.

Recording information: Cortijo, Andalucia, Spain; Looking Glass Studios, New York, NY; Mix This!, Pacific Palisades, CA; Teac; Warm Pod, NY.

Photographer: Julian Broad.

Arranger: Simon Hale.

Moving beyond the sensitive, progressive mission statement of his self-titled premiere, Duncan Sheik's follow-up, HUMMING deepens his sonic message, maintaining the up-front intimacy of the first album while adding further layers of sound. Reuniting with production luminary Rupert Hine, Sheik remains every bit the vulnerable poet; HUMMING, however, finds him donning the mantle of seasoned professional. On the opener, "In Between," orchestral arrangements swim in and out of the song's central, acoustic core, including a piano part reminiscent of mid-'80s Talk Talk. "That Says It All" is an earnest paean to his heroes, namechecking his inspirations, including the requisite nod to Nick Drake, an undeniable touchstone (and a flattering comparison) for Sheik. The songwriter's development is driven home by the album's closer, the meditative, jazzy "Nichiren."