Burning Questions (James Warren album)
Burning Questions is the debut solo studio album by English singer and composer James Warren,. It was released on Sonet Records on 2 February 1987.
The album was recorded between January and October 1985 at Sonet Studio, London. It includes the singles "True Life Confessions", "Burning Questions", "They Don't Believe In Magic" and "It Won't Be The Same Old Place". None of the singles were a commercial success, but "True Life Confessions" achieved airplay on BBC Radio 2 and Independent Local Radio, and peaked at number 166 in the UK Singles Chart on 15 June 1985. "Burning Questions" also received airplay on BBC Radio 2 and I.L.R., but did not chart.
Nick Magnus contributed keyboards and percussion on the album. In a 2024 interview with Dmitry M. Epstein, Magnus recalled about his experience on recording it, "James a great person to work with, he's phenomenal. All his vocals were pretty much the first take, and then he'd double-track himself and it would be perfect. I've never come across anybody who could do that so perfectly as James."
Burning Questions was re-issued on compact disc by Angel Air Records in 2007.
Critical reception
In a retrospective review, Jo-Ann Greene of AllMusic described the album as "very much a child of its time", with Warren doing a "brilliant" job on the songs, which she noted "put even his past hits to shame". Greene noted that the album, containing Warren's "strongest songs to date", suffered from a lack of promotion and was "consigned to the dust heap of history".Track listing
Side A- "Burning Questions" - 4:41
- "Climate of Treason" - 3:51
- "They Don't Believe in Magic" - 4:10
- "Possessed" - 4:11
- "I Know Something" - 3:10
- "True Life Confessions" - 4:17
- "It Won't Be the Same Old Place" - 4:59
- "Loneliness" - 4:10
- "Can You Hear the Spirit Dying" - 3:27
- "I Want To Remember" - 5:46
- You Made Me Believe" - 3:36
- "How Did You Know?" - 3:46
- "I'll Be Here" - 4:27
Personnel
- James Warren – lead vocals, backing vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar
- Nick Magnus – keyboards, real and synthesized percussion, synthesizer programming
- Diesel – lead guitar
- Andy Davis – pre-production sequencing and backing vocals, lead guitar
- Louise Tucker – operatic vocals
- Debbie Doss – backing vocals
- James Warren – production
- Andy Davis – production
- John Acock – engineering
- Maggie Stewart – cover concept, art direction
- Hugh Elgar – photography
- Matt McArdle – artwork
- Glenn Tommey – overdubbed extra percussion and guitars, remastering
- James Warren – overdubbed extra percussion and guitars, remastering
Release history
- 1987 Sonet Records, UK SNTF 956
- 2007 Angel Air Records, UK SJPCD217,
Single releases
Format: 7" unless otherwise noted.- "True Life Confessions" / "Possessed" - 3:55
- "True Life Confessions" - 5:58 / "I Know Something" - 2:53 / "Possessed" - 3:48
- "Burning Questions" / "Waiting For Godot" - 3:34
- "Burning Questions" - 8:04 / "Waiting For Godot"
- "They Don't Believe in Magic" / "I'll Be Here"
- "It Won't Be the Same Old Place" - 4:23 / "Climate of Treason"
- "How Did You Know?" / "Can You Hear the Spirit Dying"
- "True Life Confessions" - 3:19 / "Possessed" - 3:55