2016 – Forty Below
Records
By Phillip Smith; May 28, 2016
Sam Morrow’s debut album Ephemeral was one of my favorites of 2014, therefore, I was most curious to hear the new songs on his latest release There Is No Map. As expected, the new album revealed to be another masterpiece. With poetic beauty and brutal honesty, Morrow explores the not-so-glamorous gonzo journeys his modern-day outlaw life has taken.
The soulful boogie-laced tale
of destitution and addiction in “Barely Holding On” is a sure-fire hit. Like a freight train, the songs keep fearlessly
rolling. I get goose bumps when I hear “The
Deaf Conductor”, written by the album’s producer Eric Corne. Accompanied by
the lush and beautifully textured sounds of a B3, this one has an instant
familiarity to it. I feel as if I’ve
heard this song a hundred times before. Then
there’s the swirling, melancholy, country-flavored dirge “Green”, in which Morrow, like a burdened Buddha sings “The
same old bullshit don’t make the grass green.”
This one is flawlessly and soulfully performed. The eerie and ominous vibe woven into the
wonderfully dark “Devil’s in the Details” are quick to grab my attention as
well. The song is short, but sweet.
With two strong albums like
these under Morrow’s belt, I already await the next.
