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Review: 'Drew Morrison & The Darkwood'
'Electric-Notes Wild'   

-  Label: 'Storm Cloud Agency Records'
-  Genre: 'Alt/Country' -  Release Date: '7.9.18.'-  Catalogue No: 'SCCD 002'

Our Rating:
This is the debut album from Drew Morrison who fronts the house band at The Country Soul Sessions at the Spice of Life pub on Sunday nights deep in the heart of London's West End.

Of course a band known for hanging out in a busy pub in the centre of a huge city mainly sing about Loneliness while playing slow country soul bearers. From the opening Always this is full of sophisticated and beautiful arranged and played songs of dark lonely nights of desperation.

Keep A Movin' On is gentle and slow song about losing another love as he's doesn't like who they are in the morning as the pedal steel seems to hone in on all the emotion in the song. Ladytime seems to be about wanting a more natural woman who doesn't wear make-up the lyrics are at times a little at odds with the plangent and carefully detailed backing but just wait for the keyboards to come in and suddenly musically they remind me of Slim Chance.

Islands slowly builds into a song about quiet desperation of how things are changing and how isolated he feels without her. The central guitar part on this is just great and as with this entire album the playing and production is on the money a real muso's album.

Like We Used To is a plea for one last night in bed with an ex that he hopes will say yes, this is a slow gentle plea like they have almost finished all the red wine and it's either come to bed or time to call a cab. So will this country song melt her heart or turn it to steel I'm not sure either way but you may need to dab away the tears it's so downbeat.

No need to guess what a song called Let Me Break Your Heart Tonight is about and thankfully he takes the approach of trying to sound as much like Nikki Sudden at his most plaintive as he can which just might work and it is a beautiful gently seductive song.

In Your Own Time has me trying to figure out which Richard Thompson song the music is referencing before the almost stylophone like keyboards come in either way another song about getting rid of his love so he can be alone again.

Country Soul is a well country soul song of gently persuasive nature to get you all to come and listen at the Country Soul Sessions or a just to hear the bands slow sad music as you give yourself up to the music or to Drew's love whichever you prefer.

Sad Music is obviously the happiest sounding song on the album it's almost upbeat in places, not too upbeat mind as the lyrics are another dark tale of regret for what's gone from his life that makes him reach for that Sad Music once more.

The album closes with another slow sad song of regret in Nightbirds as he contemplates life alone once more, with a record that sounds this good I end up hoping Drew keeps getting his heartbroken so we can get lots more of these sad songs about love always going wrong for him.

Find out more at www.facebook.com/drewmorrisonandthedarkwood
  author: simonovitch

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