John Murry and Michael Timmins “A Little Bit Of Grace And Decay”

Joy and beauty abound in revisited classic Gothic Americana songs.

John Murry’s three solo recordings add up to one of the most consistently excellent song catalogues of 21^st-century songs and are probably the prime definition of Gothic Americana. The songs spring directly from John Murry’s life experiences rather than simply some artistic artifice, and this includes his family links to William Faulkner, the culture of the American South, and his own opiate and heroin dependency. With the release of 2012’s “The Graceless Age” great commercial things were expected of John Murry, but fate intervened when his friend and mentor Tim Mooney died and Murry went into another spiral that saw him eventually leave America for Ireland. In 2017 “A Short History of Decay” was released which showed that Murry’s artistic capabilities were unimpaired, and was clear evidence of the chemistry with producer, engineer, mixer and Cowboy Junkie, Michael Timmins.

Timmins was always hopeful that Murry would revisit his studio, so fast forward to now and that is exactly what Murry did. The impetus was the new documentary on Murry’s artistic and life journey, ‘The Graceless Age: The Ballad Of John Murry”, and it is clear there was a lot of the simple joy of playing music together. “A Little Bit Of Grace And Decay”  contains reinterpretations of songs from Murry’s three albums, new songs, and snatches of the musical score. The tracks were recorded over three days with John Murry on vocals and acoustic guitar, Michael Timmins on bass, keyboards, Electric guitar, and loops, and Peter Timmins on drums.

“The Graceless Age: The Ballad Of John Murry”  documentary’s central theme is John Murry’s journey to come to terms with his own past, and the cultural and family dynamics that have shaped him. It is clear that the works of William Faulkner have had a major influence, particularly with the family insight that John Murry had access to. Murry recognises that his life and career didn’t follow the path he and others expected, but the fact that he has revisited Mississippi is a sign that he is finally beginning to resolve his internal conflicts, The stripped-back recordings on “A Little Bit Of Grace And Decay” bring John Murry’s lyrics into sharper focus, and the musical score passages make it a complete and rolling experience that despite the dark nature of the songs is a thing of true beauty.

It seems that John Murry is may be preparing himself for the next phase of his life and career. He has revisited his Mississippi roots and seems to have a better understanding of the personal demons that have driven him to date, and also it may be that William Faulkner’s work will help him plot the next phase of his career. The tracks on “A Little Bit Of Grace And Delay” may be largely re-recordings of existing songs with sections of the musical score music, but it is a powerful reminder of just what a major songwriter and artist John Murry is. We must not forget Michael Timmins’ contributions as producer, musician and soundtrack passage creator, and it is to be hoped that this is the start of a sustained partnership with John Murry. It is a perfect introduction to John Murry the artist, and for long-term fans, it brings new insight and meaning to his songs. If you are already a fan of John Murry or are simply curious about him, this is an essential listen and let’s not forget the influence that Michael Timmins had on these recordings and the new music included here.