John DellRoy Band’s “Burning Desire” is an unusual recording. The two intersecting influences that come immediately to mind are Chris De Burgh (remember “Don’t Pay the Ferryman?”), at least vocally, and vintage Kansas musically, due to its driving string instrumentation.
Vocalist Dellroy likes to say the band rocks, but with folk and electronic influences. And that’s an apt description – especially for “Burning Desire.” This song gallops along purposefully. It’s a song, simply put, about lust. Dellroy sings in the song’s chorus about his rising heart rate. Human heart rates shoot up whenever we’re around people we like. It can increase because of love, yes, but this heart condition can also be triggered by – shall we say? — sexy situations.
What’s notable about this track is that it’s one that concerns mutual lust, if you will. The single’s artwork pictures a leggy hottie, wearing a low-cut top sitting on the edge of the bed. Dellroy begins by describing the look in this woman’s eyes. She has that facial expression that says she wants him. Dellroy then goes on to describe his racing heart. This lyric has all the indicators of a perfect storm. Let’s be honest here; these songs are usually much more one sided. Blue Oyster Cult’s “Burnin’ For You” comes immediately. In that one, a very one-sided lust is described. Coincidently, this BOC song appears on the band’s Fire of Unknown Origin album. The fire analogy is a common one, especially when it comes to describing human sexuality, and BOC takes this description to the hilt.
URL: http://www.johndellroy.com/
The song’s chorus gives it an anthemic quality. The rhythm suggests the stomping momentum of racehorses in action. The song’s rhythm also supports the forward motion of the protagonist’s emotions and physical state. The listener is left with the strong impression that these two people will soon be consummating their relationship with a little bedroom action.
This song, and this act’s, unique mixture of sonics, may have something to do with its unusual personnel. It was formed a decade ago in Europe, and features Austrians, Americans and Australians. It’s a five-piece act, but it’s violinist, Daniel Salecich, that ultimately sets it apart from most pop-rock acts. Sure, many bands incorporate strings into their otherwise straight rock and roll, but Salecich makes this instrumentation an essential part of the John Dellroy Band’s sound.
With “Burning Desire,” the John Dellroy Band previews an upcoming new full-length album with a strong first track. It’s usually a dangerous activity to play with fire, but when it comes to two people who are attracted to one another, nature just sometimes takes its course. This is a song about nature taking its necessary course, whether the participants like it or not. In this case, though, they’re both all-in. Rock & roll has covered this subject since the very beginning. Jerry Lee Lewis wasn’t exactly singing about 4th of July Fireworks when he gave us “Great Balls of Fire,” after all. We usually associate such overt expressions as this one with harder forms of rock music. This, though, is about a universal expression of passion. From opera to heavy metal, you can find these sorts of songs. And with this one, the John Dellroy Band is clearly on fire.
Dan MacIntosh