Mike Morrissey, Courage
Mike Morrissey’s breathy, earthy songs draw the listener in with ease. Despite its brevity (most of the songs clock in around the 2:00 – 2:20 minute mark) Morrissey’s latest EP Courage doesn’t leave the listener wanting more. His economic songs swoop right in and get the job done, quickly.
“Calm and Collected” is a smart, poppy folk tune that features playful harmonies, drums and synths that jut in and surround Morrissey’s gentle words. The track is full of explosive harmonic developments that keep the listener engaged with a keen sense of timing and arrangement. The build up at the end has a pleasing cacophony before coming back down, a stand out track for sure.
“On the Line” is a more stripped down and slow burning affair, swaying in 3/4 time, while “Mirror Man” is a bar-rocking stomper, centered around a distorted rhythm guitar and more ragged delivery. Morrissey sings “I’ve been watching the man in the mirror wondering if it will become clearer who I’m supposed to be.” “Perfect Light” is a breezy, Starbucks-jazz love song that stretches out a bit more instrumentally, handling moments of silence with careful practice. The final track, “Gifts” peels back the production veneer that has been curated so far by multi-instrumentalist/co-producer Grant Bloom, while also forgoing the energizing percussion by PJ Holaday. A protest message to 45, “Gifts”’ provides acoustic activism as Morrissey sings “We all need courage/ it’s been missing from the top.”
Photo by Sofia Shmeleva
This smooth folk album offers different shades throughout, making Courage remarkably listenable from beginning to end. With Morrissey’s mature voice front and center, the influence of Jack Johnson, Norah Jones, and Johnny Cash are felt, and mix well on this snack of an EP. An easy listen on a sweltering summer’s day, here’s hoping Morrissey keeps pushing the production value and delivers an LP soon.
As Morrissey says, we all need a little Courage right now. Listen to the EP below.
All revenue from release day to benefit Black Lives Matter Boston, ACLU, Everytown for Gun Safety, and Environmental Defense Fund.