Burning Boy

The Darling Ranges lie about 35 km's south of Perth. The area was on fire for about 4 days in early 2011. Joe Mckee grew up in these hills and, after 4 years under the spell of London, he returned to them. 'Burning Boy' is his debut album and a bold shift too. Gone is the pulsing rhythm section so often omnipresent in his work, replaced by a breathy and somewhat unexpected baritone. Cuts like 'Open Mine', a loose mediation on Western Australia's recent gold rush, and the brooding title track show a vulnerability and lyrical dexterity seen for the first time here. Recorded with long-time collaborator Dave Parkin, these 10 tracks move together as an exhilarating whole, acting as a timely reminder of McKee's reputation as one of Australia's finest left field composers. 'Burning Boy' adds a few new strings to the bow though. Once you become immersed in it's gorgeous swells and poignant imagery it becomes immediately obvious that in all the coming, going, leaving and returning; that Joe Mckee has, at least for now, found a melodic home.