McMorrow takes the LA challenge

James Vincent McMorrow.

By Colleen Taylor

This time, James Vincent McMorrow didn’t let fear get in the way. Discussing his new EP, “We Move,” McMorrow said, “Making this album was about changing so many things…Every time I’ve made a record in the past, I’ve walked to the edge of where I wanted to be, I’ve gotten scared, and I’ve walked back to a safe distance.” Fans and critics might disagree with that estimation.

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In any case Dubliner McMorrow has said he didn’t return to that safe home base—he stayed out on the edge of the unfamiliar to write and record “We Move.” His alien distance, that creative space out on the edge, was Los Angeles. He called it his temporary home and the source of his experiential creative challenge.

McMorrow’s debut, “Early in the Morning,” reached number 1 in Ireland, and his second album, “Post Tropical,” earned him a nomination for the Choice Music Prize. He has millions of streams on Spotify, fans all over the world, and, since his debut in 2010, he has played some of the globe’s most prestigious music venues, like the Sydney Opera House. What’s more, whether they realize it or not, much of the American nation has listened to Irish singer McMorrow, as one of his songs was featured on the most popular show on television, “Game of Thrones.”

“We Move” begins—fittingly—with some psychedelic sounds. “Rising Water,” the opening track is part rock, part folk, part electronica, part space odyssey sound. It’s energetic and undeniably vibrant. McMorrow’s voice really comes alive in this new mode he’s working in. His trademark high-pitched, soft vocals enter a new galaxy. The songs become a bit more grounded as the album goes on, but no less ambitious.

McMorrow clearly wasn’t afraid to incorporate American culture into this album. The one uniting stylistic theme is rhythm and soul. He may be a Dubliner, but he’s gone the route of Afro-Am soulful beats of late, and it really expands the range of his voice. From the sounds of “We Move,” the singer’s time in Los Angeles enabled him to fully come into his own. This alien experience may have been frightening, but it was exceptionally fruitful. In appreciation, the album concludes on an homage to Los Angeles with the cleverly-titled “Lost Angles.” The song repeats the moral behind McMorrow’s new creative philosophy: “Don’t let fear control you.” This time, the singer blasted through any restrictive obstacles he may have had in the past, and reached new creative heights in his soulful, galactic album.

Mundy for White Plains

For those who love “Galway Girl,” you’ll be happy to hear Mundy is coming to White Plains’ Mickey Spillanes on Sept. 17. The singer-songwriter from Offaly has had a stellar thirty-year career, of which his globally famous “Galway Girl” rendition is the pinnacle. Mundy is fresh off a new album himself, called—you guessed it—“Mundy” (2015). Like McMorrow’s latest album, Mundy is full of energy, but it’s a different kind of energy. The Offaly singer is full of humor, ease, assuredness and peppy rhythm. He’s a veteran performer at this stage, having played for Barack Obama not once, but twice. Hear the best version of Galway Girl live at Mickey Spillane’s on the 17th. More at mundy.ie.

 

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