Andrew Morris - UnionBars

Sun 2nd Sep, 2007 in Music Reviews

Most artists will take a couple of years between releasing albums. Its understandable; between touring, promotion and writing, not to mention the actual recording and post-production, artists who are too prolific will usually suffer from diminishing returns. However, this is definitely not the case for Andrew Morris. His new album Union Bars, his third in three years, is a stripped back, melodic affair – not quite the alt-country we are used to hearing from Morris, but not a complete change either. It’s another solid piece of work from this local legend, and one which will appeal both to fans of his old work, and those looking for a new folk troubadour.

Morris, who used to front pub-rock band Palladium, has developed a reputation for his solid alt-country style, ranging from toe-tapping dance-country numbers to slow, bluesy ballads. For his new album, he left his supporting band behind, heading to the rural Victorian ranch of J Walker (Machine Translations). Walker produced the album, as well as playing instruments alongside Morris, and this simple, laidback production style comes through with every soothing drumbeat or acoustic strum. You can easily picture the two playing songs while looking out over misty green mountains, sipping from a flask of coffee.

Album opener Here You Are, There You Go is a perfect snapshot of what is to come. Its gentle guitar riff, calm percussion and heartfelt vocals blend together to inject themselves in the psyche of the listener – you’ll be swaying back and forth without even realising it. This calm, confident air infects the whole album, especially the folk ballads You Are Everything That I’m Not and In My Town.

There’s still a little rock edge here. Strawberry Edge gets good length from a riff-slide combination, while Here He Comes contains a pent up energy which releases during its exciting chorus. And of course, it wouldn’t be an Andrew Morris album without a little country. Everybody Knows and album closer The Bitter End show Morris doing what he does best; easy-going country with the heart and soul (and harmonica) that is all too often lost in today’s novelty-obsessed music industry.

The only misstep is LA, a jaunty pop piano number that sounds like it came straight from Elton John’s songbook. This story of friendship and partying in Los Angeles is off-kilter with the rest of the album, which is very Australian, and very rural at that.

The production on the album is excellent. Each song is given room to breathe and grow, and each listen of the album reveals little treasures to enjoy. Walker knows how to work with Morris’s voice, which is sometimes a little too samey, into an integral part of these songs – he has a distinctive style, but never sounds repetitive.

Having committed to a one-album-per-year schedule, Morris is already looking ahead to the next album. This album has laid the groundwork for a masterpiece, and fans should be eagerly looking forward to his next release with bated breath.