Critic's Review
Greg Adams, All Music Guide
New Sunrise is an apt title for this album, made in 1973 when Brenda Lee received a makeover as a country-oriented MCA recording artist. The big hits began anew, and Lee spent much of the next three years in the country Top Ten. Two songs from New Sunrise were successful singles: "Sunday Sunrise" nearly made the Top Five, and Shel Silverstein's "Wrong Ideas" performed equally well. Lee is an excellent ballad singer, but after years of churning out serious, often continental, adult pop, it was a breath of fresh air to hear her perform lively material with down-home accompaniment. That said, much of New Sunrise is no different from her late-period Decca recordings, particularly the pop covers like Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life." The handful of country songs are a welcome departure; the rest is typical late '60s style Brenda Lee.
