Burnt Rose is a five-piece Hamilton band. Their varied styles are well represented on their first album, "piece of the part".
Burnt rose was formed around two songwriters, Debi Ferguson and John McCullough. Their wide range of tastes, seperately and together make for a very interesting combination. The band has been rounding itself out for the last ten years and has settled comfortably with the current lineup.
Burnt Rose has an extensive repertoire of favourite songs from a wide spectrum of music genres and time lines. The covers they do are a reflection of their influences.
Review - Opry North Showcase- September 28th , 2002
.............. veteran performers, Hamilton group, Burnt Rose, took the stage next with their unique blend of music borrowing from the genres of Country, Rock, Folk, Celtic and everything in between. Decade-long performers always tweaking their tunes for specific audiences, Burnt Rose found just the right combination of songs to keep this afternoon of fun rolling in the right direction.
Five original songs were performed this day: Seems To Me; Nose To The Stone; Why Can't People; Runnin'; and Rotten Low-Down Blues. Multi-talented Debi Ferguson (lead vocals, guitar, mandolin, harmonica) and John McCullough (vocals, guitar, flute) handle all the songwriting for this band (currently including four full-time members) with an extensive repertoire of songs, influenced by artists ranging from Elvis to Terri Clark. Ferguson's vocals are reminiscent of Sass Jordan and Melissa Etheridge.
Burnt Rose's song, Seems To Me, is an up tempo tune with Celtic influence, but, Why Can't People, really helps Burnt Rose shine as performers. Clever lyrics and soulful music make this tune, to be included in an upcoming CD, a hit song. Their 11-song debut CD, Piece Of The Part, released in 2001, also demonstrates that Burnt Rose never lacks for fresh, original material.
After the show, Ferguson and McCullough told me, they are chameleons of Country music: you never know what type of music you are going to hear from this outstanding Hamilton talent. That's a compliment to their diversity and professionalism, which always makes Burnt Rose an entertaining act. At this Opry North Showcase, Phil James handled bass and vocals, "Bungalow" Bill Taylor played drums, and Natalia Manley, a Classically-trained 20-year-old violinist, joined the group on stage to play her instrument in the style of a Country fiddle, adding greatly to the performance.
Burnt Rose is well-known across southwestern Ontario. Their originality, solid talent and entertaining storytelling make them worth checking out next time they perform at a venue near you.
-Jeffrey Reed
