Album Review: James Vincent McMorrow – We Move
2 min read
We’re treated to an extensive sprawling landscape of vintage sonic vibratory wonders and a tonal control with a voice that continues to win over most. James Vincent McMorrow’s newest shapely confidence has taken the lovely form of his third studio record. We Move is a contemporary array of harmonium peaks both resplendent and cosy. The ephemeral gems revolve around and within this preserved and delicate new album by the Irish singer-songwriter.
I Lie Awake Every Night slams some straight R&B serenading, instantaneously capable of weakening knees and fluttering hearts. His sultry falsetto wraps around thick propelling bass drum thumps and a frisky snare slap that echoes in the brain well after the track’s unwanted finish. Moving into warmer waters is Last Story, as it exhibits perfect vinyl crackle and muffled guitar licks underneath soft Rhodes keyboard moments. The instrumentation for the record does well to let James’ voice do the most talking – and for good measure. Congenial efforts tumble over the sharp lyricism and meaningful wavelengths. “I wanna leave, I still believe it’s possible” he tearily expels. For the most part, the album takes the shape of a contemporary sparkling R&B pop pillar, reminiscent perhaps of some early James Blake. His voice holds a fiery and silky falsetto prowess that shines underneath the electronica mastery within the production. As a result, the record channels McMorrow’s undeniable tonal presence and musicality not previously heard. Get Low is more of a mid-noughties indie throwback at first, protruding from behind the vintage guitar strumming and folky vocal demeanour. This soon pleasantly dissipates to a huge chest piercing sub bass spatial presence. The production credits should indicate just how well mastered these poppy gems can be – boasting studio partnerships winning over the likes of Kanye West, Jay-Z, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Rihanna to name a few. Seek Another sets aside as one of the more celebrated and subtle pleasantries on the record, submerging under bubbling virtues of cosmic sprinkled beauty and transient musicality, whereas Surreal seats his vocals inside a spacey haze and hubble of the starry-eyed composition. Again it’s McMorrow’s relentless tone and ultimate vocal control that really propels this record into a new realm of dainty and divine majesty.
For many reasons, the record will be a go to for long drives in the sun when reaching for easy listening slow rhythms. A vocal force not to be reckoned with, James Vincent McMorrow’s We Move is a sonic balance between folk-infused R&B and a developed musical presence that beams tradition and respectable, textured performance qualities. Unwind with a cranberry vodka the next time it calls for it, with nothing but this as the soothing soundtrack to accompany the vibe.
