Evocative and reflective album from Australian-born, Surrey-based singer-songwriter Andrew Maxwell Morris.
Even when backed by talented musicians on pedal steel (‘Chasing Time’) and saxophone (Alexander Bone on ‘I Will Go There,’ ‘Only Disappearing’) the undeniable focus on Andrew Maxwell Morris’s third album is still on his voice and guitar. His well-written songs display an abundance of underappreciated talent and expressive but fully reined-in feeling.
While often compared to David Gray, on this album Morris is more likely to bring a pensive Peter Gabriel (‘Lead Me On’) or Mike Scott to mind, with songs of beauty and depth that Dave Matthews probably wishes he had written. ‘Chasing Time’ was inspired by reading ‘On The Road’ during lockdown, and Kerouac would have recognized the sentiment of anti-materialist ‘I Will Go There,’ and moving on from past traumas on ‘Make Me Feel.’ The interplay between fnger-picked acoustic guitar and insistent drums on ‘Satisfied’ implies a dissatisfied restlessness. On ‘Lead Me On’ Morris is quietly defiant, following a path in the wilderness alone without the guidance of guru or deity, but sounds spiritual nonetheless. Similarly, ‘Mercy’ is about forgiveness, even when it’s crushingly difficult to offer. It deserves a big, bombastic Harlem church production – or an equally exuberant atheist choir. Morris himself deserves to play to a wider audience, which is why this album leaves you wishing it was a bit longer.
