Concrete And Mud

Description

With his third album, which marks a turning point in his career, Morrow should solidify his place among the country elite of Los Angeles. "Concrete and Mud" is a confident album, rooted in Texas twang, Southern stomp, and old school funky-tonk. Recorded largely live in a studio on a vintage Neve 8068 console with producer/engineer Eric Corne at the helm, it also highlights Morrow's talents as a songwriter, leader, and conductor. Musically, Sam Morrow is at his peak here, electrifying and energetic. The melancholic sounds of Ephemeral and its 2015 successor, There Is No Map, both written during Morrow's early years of sobriety, have been replaced by something more representative of his concerts, where he leads a group of plugged-in roots rockers.
As a result, "Concrete and Mud" bets double on a mix of country funk and guitar-driven Southern rock, interspersed with train rhythms, Telecaster twangs, bluesy slide guitars, swirling organs, with Morrow's powerful and resonant voice at the forefront. There is also a balance. For every arrogant country rock track like "Heartbreak Man" or "Good Ole Days," there is a beautiful and moving piece like "San Fernando Sunshine" or "The Weight of A Stone." "The sentiment is this," he adds, "the things that unite us are stronger than the forces that divide us."