Waiting for the Sun to Rise

A songwriter’s songwriter, Marc Jordan is best known for writing (along with John Capek) “Rhythm of My Heart,” the 1991 smash for Rod Stewart. Marc Jordan’s songs have been recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Joe Cocker, Diana Ross, Cher, Chicago, Bette Midler, Natalie Cole, Kenny Loggins, Kim Carnes, Amanda Marshall and The Manhattan Transfer, to name a few.

‘Waiting for the Sun to Rise’ sees Marc Jordan turning his gaze outward, writing from a place of weathered wisdom. “Rio Grande,” is the album’s centerpiece, is a hymn to what’s left of the world. Squandered potential and abiding hope live side by side, and a soaring solo by Grammy-winning trumpeter Randy Brecker tops off producer Lou Pomanti’s arrangement.

The stunning “Coltrane Plays the Blues” continues Marc Jordan’s penchant for mid-century jazz references. Like his thematic cousin Paul Buchanan of The Blue Nile (whose “The Downtown Lights” is covered here), Marc Jordan sets his stories in an after-hours netherworld populated by lonely lovers and disappointed dreamers.

Marc Jordan has always been about uncompromising quality.

”Marc Jordan has a way of not doing the obvious, and that’s what makes a great songwriter: you say it or play it differently than everybody else.” – David Foster

A new day is dawning for Marc Jordan — the singer-songwriter has just announced that his forthcoming solo album ”Waiting For The Sun To Rise” will be released April 21. The advance single ”Tell Me Where It Hurts” is out now, and is an example of the kind of romantic ballad Marc is renowned for writing.

”Waiting For The Sun To Rise” (Linus Entertainment) is the follow up to 2019’s Juno-nominated ”Both Sides”, and represents another deep dive into the jazz-tinged, wholly original soundscape Jordan revisits with each release. Whereas Both Sides saw Jordan exploring the Great American Songbook — which for him ranges from Hoagy Carmichael to Lou Reed — ”Waiting For The Sun To Rise” is a return to originals, sumptuously arranged for the piano and orchestra by acclaimed producer Lou Pomanti (Michael Bublé, Blood Sweat and Tears), with trumpet solos from Grammy-winning artist Randy Brecker.

This 15th album may well be his most emotionally direct ever, its songs suggest comfort in the wee hours, redemption amid the ruins. Jordan sets his stories in an after-hours netherworld populated by lonely lovers and disappointed dreamers, referencing historical figures like John Coltrane and Joe Louis, counterbalanced with the splendor of the natural world: more than ever, these new songs feature celestial bodies, mountains, canyons and forests. His cover choices this time out include two British favourites of the ’80s: underrated cult favourite The Blue Nile (The Downtown Lights) as well as one of the biggest hits of that decade: Tears For Fears’ Everybody Wants To Rule The World, to which Marc Jordan gives a smooth-jazz makeover.

Marc Jordan’s songcraft has been lauded by the likes of Diana Ross, Cher and Joe Cocker, all of whom have covered his songs, but Marc is an artist in his own right since his first album was released on Warner Records in 1978 generating the hit ”Marina Del Rey”. He has recorded with several of music’s best-known producers — David Foster, Gary Katz (Steely Dan) — and has had success in multiple genres. In 2010 he co-starred with Olivia Newton-John in the film ”Score: A Hockey Musical”, and since 2004 he has been performing and recording with Ian Thomas, Murray McLauchlan and Cindy Church as Lunch at Allen’s.