The Northern Irish first-timer Richard Murray, almost in his early 30s, has delivered a mighty calling card with his debut \"Desert Wind\". His voice, his songs and his musical intpretations of them are simply impressive. First and foremost is his simply glorious raw-husky-tender delivery, which from the first minute reminds us a little of Justin Currie from Del Amitri. That\'s an extraordinarily powerful weapon! And even more so when occassionally they are augmented by heavenly backing vocals such as those of Mandie Barnett. And then there are still Murray\'s songs! The man appears not only to have been blessed with a formidable set of vocal chords, but also with an incredible instinct for melody and captivating lyrics. From ballads like \"Enlighten Me\", \"Blueberry Wine\" and \"Down in This Town\"; the almost 7 minute epic \"Burning Silver\"; the summery \"Forgive Me Sera\" with it\'s border-romance Americana infused lyrics; animated county-rockers like \"I\'ll Never Learn\", \"Valley of the Unforgiven\", \"DT\'s Roadhouse Shake\"; to the enthusiastic yet flamboyant romping bluegrass of \"Thinking of Cristina\"; these songs quickly become real stayers, and songs that you will gladly make some space on your iPod for. Songs you will keep wanting to hear! Put simply, \"Desert Wind\" is a wonderfully varied work, and Richard Murray is a songsmith we will undoubtedly hear from again.

Richard Murray, a singer / songwriter born in NI and living in London, has, with Desert Wind, delivered an American sounding album that couldn't be more American if it wanted to. What sparse information there is on Murray indicates that till now he has worked mostly as a session musician for a diverse range of bands, but has also gathered songwriting and production experience. Desert Wind is his first solo project, in which he naturally takes on the composing, production and playing of different instruments himself, complemented in a relatively small part by his supporting musicians. With 13 songs and a running time of almost 70 minutes, the CD covers a broad range. What you get is a very appealing mix of Country (with occasional subtle bluegrass touches and light Tex-Mex flair), sparsely accompanied recitals (generally supported by acoustic guitar), slightly rootsy Singer/Songwriter material (with occasional Story Teller ambitions), but also a few unexpected rockier songs thrown in - and all supported by beautiful melodies. Hal Ketchum and Del Amitri are approximate signposts, but the whole thing plays out between these in the broadest sense. Murray knows above all how to score points with his incredible dulcet flowing voice, which sounds very American and reminds me of John Kilzer, but also plays excellent acoustic and electric guitar as well as mandolin. An occassional mouth organ trails off in one or 2 songs, but the always subtle and well suited female harmonies of Mandie Barnett are excellent. My favourites on this continuously relaxed sounding record are the country-esque Forgive Me Sera (with a light Tex-Mex flair, steel guitar and mandolin); the breezily arranged I'll Never Learn (almost a little mainstream country; electric guitar, organ fills, steel, very catchy); Burning Silver, with its piano underlay that recalls Bruce Hornsby, and long electric guitar passage; the melodic Midnight Oil (jaunty acoustic guitar, electric guitar fills, beautiful harmonica solo and changes of tone); and the rocking Valley of the Unforgiven (excellent electric guitar solo). And shortly before the end Richard shakes things up with DTs Roadhouse Shake, a furious rhythmic country rocker with screeching harmonica and thrumping piano up its sleeve that even Dan Baird couldn't have played better. All in all I have been very pleasantly surprised by Richard Murray, a complete unknown to me up to now. The CD's appearance fits well with the title, all earthy greys, greens and blacks, and all lyrics are included. Richard Murray is without doubt the most American Northern Irish man that I have musically encountered so far. From my point of view, a very highly recommended musician.

RadioIndy is proud to present Richard Murray a GrIndie Award for their CD "Desert Wind." A GrIndie Award is RadioIndy's stamp of approval that this CD is an excellent quality CD. Please join us in congratulating this artist on this accomplishment.

“Desert Wind” by the experienced Richard Murray is a beautiful and pure folk rock album. The CD is the complete package of excellent musicianship, production, and songwriting. Richard's warm, soothing vocals are a highlight of the CD, and have a pleasant yet raspy tone that reminds us of Edwin McCain and Del Amitri. The songwriting shines with highly refined lyrics and memorable melodies. The acoustic guitar on the CD, such as on "Down in this Town" and "1931" has a very beautiful tone that allows Richard's skillful guitar work to cut through the recording nicely. Moreover, this CD showcases a wide range of musical diversity – from the slow-paced, teary acoustic ballad “Enlighten Me” to the upbeat folk-with-a-hint-of-Celtic-flavor “Thinking of Cristina” and the radio-friendly country-rock anthem “I’ll Never Learn.” With all of these appealing traits, “Desert Wind” is sure to cause a scene in the folk rock music scene.