We caught up with ECR Music Group owner and recording artist Blake Morgan to talk about the new restored and remastered version of his sophomore album Burning Daylight.Ā

As someone who’s been following your work for a while, I always felt there was a huge leap between Burning Daylight and the more nuanced Diamonds in the Dark. This reissue seems to equalize those records, illuminating some gradations lost in the original mix of Burning Daylight. It’s a tighter and more focused record now that sits comfortably among your best work. But you didn’t George Lucas it. There’s no re-recording or alternative takes, right?
[Laughs] No, noāāunlike Han Solo in Lucasā newer version, Iām proud to say that I still shoot first and there are no awkward scenes with a new and computer generated Jabba the Hutt. To be clear: no retakes, no re-recording, no autotune, no āsweetening,ā no auto-tempo. None of that. In truth, I started with the original multi-tracks of the record and remixed each song from scratch. I think the result is a really striking one. I agree it does feel much tighter and more focused, much more natural, and it adheres more to its analog nature (it was originally cut to tape). Because of that, I feel the songwriting is now able to jump forward and into view better than ever.
I have to say, this is how I always wanted the record to sound when I was first making it. So in truth, this isnāt a departure from the original plan forĀ Burning Daylightāāquite the contraryāāitās a better implementation of the original one.

The original Burning Daylight was released thirteen years ago. Do you still connect to those songs?
I really do, and Iām so glad of that. Those songs really matter to me and I think theyāre reborn with this new mix. I feel a great mix should almost go unnoticed, the way a great film should be transparent. We donāt want to leave a movie saying, āWow, that was so well made!ā We want to leave a movie emotionally affected because of how it was made, whether our ribs hurt from laughing or our eyes are red from crying. We want to leave saying, āHey, can we go somewhere and just talk about this for a while?ā I think the depth and emotion in the songs onĀ Burning DaylightĀ has been unveiled. I really love believing in them again. For me, itās like the windshield in front of the songs has been wiped clean with this mix, and theyāve been newly revealed.

The new mix really showcases the musicianship behind the songs. From your vocals, guitar, and keys, to that kick-assĀ rhythm section of Jonathan Ellinghaus (drums) and John Turner (bass). It sounds like a whole new record. Have they heard the new mix?
Thanks so much, I feel that way too. They certainly have heard itāāthey poured their hearts and souls into this record from the beginning, and theyāve both been invaluable in accomplishing this new mix. Jon and JT are two extraordinary musicians Iāve had the fortune of working with for a long time. Theyāve never sounded better than they do on these tracks.
Jon always plays drums like a songwriter (because he is one), and heās completely selfless in the process. All he cares about is getting the songs across and contributing what he can to achieve that. And he does so, unlike any drummer Iāve ever worked with.
JT has taught me more about the bass guitarāāand probably music in generalāāthan anyone I know, and his ears for a mix are invaluable to me. Seriously, I have not finished a mix on a record in the past 15 years without seeking his counsel. Heās one of the only people in the world who can convince me Iām wrong in five words or less, and Iām so grateful for it. Not to be overlooked, JT is also singing his tail off on this recordāāheās doing almost all of the backing vocals. Rebuilding this record from the ground up wouldnāt be possible without the foundation that those two musicians provided. The upper architecture of the arrangements on the record really shine now, but itās all because itās laid on top of Jon and JTās work. Same with my vocals. Who wouldnāt want to sing their lungs out on top of a foundation like that!
Can we expect to see any of your other albums get the remaster treatment?
Yesāāin fact each of my four albums will be re-issued in the coming months. The impetus was the combination of my record label, ECR Music Group, securing a new worldwide distribution deal with SONY/Orchard, and me personally signing a new music publishing deal with Modern Works Music Publishing. Those two developments made me think, āWell if I was ever going to go back and look under the hood of my recorded catalog, now would be the time.ā Thatās really what fueled this whole remaster-and-reissue idea.
“This is how I always wanted the record to sound.”
So, followingĀ Burning Daylight, my debut album,Ā Angerās Candy,Ā will be re-released worldwide on October 26th,Ā SilencerĀ on November 16th, andĀ Diamonds In The DarkĀ on December 7th. (SilencerĀ is also getting the full remixed-and-remastered treatment likeĀ Burning Daylight, and Iām thrilled about it too.) RevisitingĀ Angerās CandyĀ and working on that remaster was a unique trip (it was originally mastered by the great Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound), and I feel like itās been given a really beautiful new lift. The artistic arc between it,Ā Burning Daylight, and the albums that followed has never felt so satisfying to me. This has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to be able to honor the work that the earlier versions of me did, while also using all the artistic tools I now possess in doing so. Itās been moving, and joyful. These past few months rank among the best Iāve ever spent in music.

Your continuing residency on Stage 3 of Rockwood Music Hall is one of the best tickets in town.Ā There’s always a lot of love in the room.Ā You recently featured some super talented special guests like Tracy Bonham, Jesse Harris, and Chris Barron, to name a few – opening my eyes to those folks in a whole new way. I know you do a lot of touring in and out of the states, but I get the feeling the Rockwood residency is particularly special for you. Am I right?
Without exaggeration, itās changed my musical life. All of the nearly 100,000 miles of touring Iāve done over the past three years is because of the Rockwood residency. It caught on early in its first yearāāmuch to my surprise I might addāāand once it did, it gave birth to touring opportunities Iāve never had before. Close to 150 concerts on both sides of the Atlantic now, and more to come. I certainly never expected to sell out three years of shows at Rockwood, or to even have three years of shows at all. Now, weāre starting the fourth year, and I will keep doing it, happily, for however long people keep showing up.
“These past few months rank among the best Iāve ever spent in music.”
To be able to have a musical home in New York City has been a dream of mine since I was a boy (I used to go see Les Paul at Fat Tuesdayās where heād play for 50 people every Monday night). Now, I have a home of my own (and what a home!) with incredible guestsāāmany of whom have become dear friendsāāand an audience who brings an energy to that special room like none Iāve ever known.
The residency has given me a chance to stretch and grow as an artist, and to try things I wouldnāt be able to otherwise. The whole āstorytellingā part of the show, for example, is something I never used to do, and now itās an indispensable feature of both my Rockwood show, and my show on the road. Performing brand new songs at almost every show is also new for me, and perhaps the best and most valuable part of the whole experience. I have a busy musical life, what with running my label, producing and recording other artists, etc., and finding time to write can be a challenge. As the saying goes, āthe shoemakerās shoes always get fixed last.ā But this residency has put me on the schedule with myself in a way thatās changed everything for me. Itās a show I have to do, and do well, every 8 weeks rain or shine. I love that. As Duke Ellington once said, āI donāt need time. What I need is a deadline.ā
* * *
Blake Morgan is on tour now.Ā