| CD Review - Elliott Morris - Alone In The Dark |
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| CD EP |
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| Review by dan45 |
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Acoustic troubadour Elliott Morris makes his guitar sound like a six stringed cajon on his new EP Alone in the Dark. Morris has been playing acoustic guitar for two years, but in that time he has forged an enviable career playing at acoustic guitar festivals around the country, as well as supporting and playing with such luminaries as Folk legend Martin Carthy and camp fire favourite Newton Faulkner. Of course, comparisons to Newton Faulkner are a little obvious - particularly with the similar percussive styles of both Faulkner and Morris - so I'm not going to make them. Rather, Morris comes across as a flamenco John Mayer, both in terms of his guitar playing and his plaintive lyrical style.
Of the four tracks on the EP, three are single take live performances by Morris created by one acoustic guitar and voice, the other track being a more electric sound with the added disadvantage of some truly awful 'session' drums. Why Morris had an electric track on this EP is any one's guess, particularly when the three acoustic tracks do more than enough to convince you of Morris' flair.
The opening title track Alone in the Dark should have been left in the studio. The animation and enthusiasm that Morris shows in his playing is shamefully destroyed by a lumpen and pedestrian drum track which shows little regard to the track it's supposed to be supporting. The rest of the EP however showcases Morris' talent more favourably.
The technique he displays with his guitar on Half A Guy brings to mind Pete Townshend in it's rhythmic expertise and showcases immediately Morris' percussive style. The crack in the vocal on the outro chorus shows authenticity to a perhaps over sensitive lyric.
On the wistful and appealing Less Than Three, Morris switches between ballad like strumming and some excellent acoustic picking exploring the full dynamic range of his acoustic guitar, although again the sensitive, three-hankie lyrical content is less than convincing.
The excellent and upbeat closing track All I Am is a tune which immediately has one wondering how on earth Morris played it, such is it's outstanding technical capacity. Morris experiments with metre changes throughout the track, bringing real excitement to the music with urgency and energy.
Overall, while the recording itself is too safe and takes few risks, it's a pleasure to hear such beautifully skilled and technically adept guitar playing here and Morris shows more than just cosy acoustic tinkerings on his EP. Certainly, the guitar playing more than makes up for the shortcomings in the over sentimentality of the lyrical content. Essentially a Folk/Pop record, Morris displays some edgy and fiery acoustic guitar playing and is recommended for that alone.
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This page was last updated Monday, 11 January 2010
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