Black Sun is the third studio album from the hard rock

Hard rock

Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...

 band Ra

Ra (U.S. band)

Ra is an American alternative metal band from Los Angeles, California, taking their name from the Egyptian sun god. The band has been around since the 1990s, but did not actually evolve into its current form until 2002...

, released on September 23, 2008. A single, Broken-Hearted Soul, from Black Sun was released Christmas Day 2007, later becoming available on iTunes June 17, 2008. Black Sun was released to iTunes on September 16, 2008. Some retailers did not carry this album due to distribution problems (unverified).

The album reached #193 on the Billboard 200

Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

. It also reached #2 on Heatseekers Albums, and #30 on Independent Albums. http://www.billboard.com/charts/rock-songs#/album/ra/black-sun/1183064 Black Sun has sold 20,000+ albums, and 18,000+ of their single, Broken Hearted Soul

Broken Hearted Soul

Broken-Hearted Soul, from Black Sun, was released on Christmas Day of 2007. On the same day, it was available for a free download on Ra's myspace for only 24 hours. The single was available on iTunes as of June 17, 2008. Broken Hearted Soul received a double feature on the iTunes rock homepage and...

. http://www.breakdownroom.net/ra-1209.html

Background

""Raw" is actually released with no contract but the band gives Cement shoes the benefit of the doubt. 14 months later there is neither a contract nor is there a follow up studio album. Most fans had already figured that that band has broken up and that the new record would never see the light of day but Sahaj has never been one to let anyone hold him or Ra back. With his own money and the money of independent promoter Elizabeth Hodges, Sahaj opens Sahaja Music Records or SMR, going back to his friends at Universal to make an exclusive distribution deal." http://www.ra-band.net/history/

Title Origin

"Black Sun is going to be… I’m naming it that specifically because the first record was From One, the second record was Duality and there are kind of spiritual connotations in all of that. I think this record is going to have the same level of spirituality but it’s going to be darker and that’s why we’re calling it Black Sun."

- Sahaj http://www.streamofconsciousness.net/interviews/ra.htm

Recording

During the writing/recording process, Sahaj had to go through surgery to repair a ruptured disc in his back. Due to his obvious physical discomfort, Sahaj admitted to rushing the creation of the album. http://www.breakdownroom.net/ra-1209.html PJ Farley said, "It was a unique process because, this was the first time that we actually just got in a room and jammed and just hashed out material and would just hit record and play for hours,"

Tracklisting

All tracks by Sahaj Ticotin except when noted.

1. Broken Hearted Soul
   Broken Hearted Soul
   Broken-Hearted Soul, from Black Sun, was released on Christmas Day of 2007. On the same day, it was available for a free download on Ra's myspace for only 24 hours. The single was available on iTunes as of June 17, 2008. Broken Hearted Soul received a double feature on the iTunes rock homepage and...
   
    - 3:33
2. Faulty Information - 4:14 (Marlette, Ticotin)
3. The First Step - 4:26 (Carroll, Ticotin)
4. Push - 4:05 (Marlette, Ticotin)
5. Don't Turn Away - 4:03 (Marlette, Ticotin)
6. Lost Along The Way - 4:03 (Marlette, Ticotin)
7. I Believe Again - 3:18 (Marlette, Ticotin)
8. Waste Of Space - 5:47
9. Genocide - 3:42
10. A Poet's Dream - 3:29
11. Easier Than This - 5:40 (Farley, Ticotin)

Album chart positions

Album	Chart (2008)	Peak position
Black Sun	Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...	193
	Heatseekers Albums (was given the award, "Greatest Gainer")	2
	Independent Albums	30

Credits

• Andy Ryan - (drums)
• Sahaj Ticotin - (guitar, vox, keyboards, producer)
• PJ Farley - (bass)
• Ben Carroll - (guitar, programming)