David Myles casts his net further into the musical waters, drawing deeper into world music. Into the Sun is a well crafted disc that draws upon inspirations from Paul Simon, Jorge Ben and Thomas Mapfumo. The influence of Simon is recognizably evident on “Don’t Look Back” and “Run,” with pleasant hint of Ben on the aromatic track “Nina.”

Myles’ warm and captivating voice certainly works extremely well on the Brazilian and African music.

The album really shows that Myles is always evolving on his musical journey, tweaking and tuning as a singer songwriter. Into the Sun could be a bit of a venture outside of his comfort zone that pays off big time.

“Simple Pleasures,” is certainly hit bound, however I found the stutter gimmick a bit over the top yet, needless to say, still quite catchy. Bringing in rapper Classified has added yet another dimension to a fine Myles effort on his fifth studio recording. I much preferred tracks “Long Dark Night” and “Time to be a Man” which were a delight to play over and over again.

This flawlessly skilled trumpet player shines through on two decent instrumental tracks. Album co-producer, Charles Austin, adds a fresh vibe with the marimba and also pays homage to the 70s funk and psychedelic music from Nigeria on the track “The Bottom”.

An obvious deviation from past albums, Into the Sun will undoubtedly see Myles gaining more recognition and respect in the world of other genres which can only increase his audience and exposure. This is another superb venture by David Myles, who continues to astound me with his never ending abilities of an exciting musician.