Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 3.5/5 Reviewer: Jason Zalmanowitz |
When the ‘Spice Girls’ first hit the scene in 1996, it was questioned why we needed another American super-group. When they were singing, they sounded like any other starlet. When they danced around nearly naked, the looked like any other marketing “sensation.†It was only during interviews that it became clear and present that they were from the UK. Now with ‘Morph,’ that’s a different story.
Hailing from Northern Ireland, ‘Morph’ is comprised of vocalist Collie Stewart, guitarists Stephen and Richard Stewart, keyboardist Andy Kirkbride (who has recently left the band), bassist Peter Pratt, drummer Gary Bloxsom, and their somewhat misplaced DJ Paul Trimble. These seven players have allowed ‘Morph’ fit snugly into the new paradigm of soft-rock. But what new paradigm is that, you ask? Obviously it’s the use of a DJ even when one isn’t needed. The most obvious problem with the use of a DJ in a band that closer resembles a “jam-band†than a hardcore techno megamix group is that the DJ’s skills are used often as a filler or bridge in a song. They are hardly the focus of any song, and often take away from the quiet pleasure of a song.
The first track off of “morphsville†is just such a song. “Beautiful Lies,†while also resembling an oxymoron, amenably welcomes the listener to the general feel of the CD. The melodic vocals, soft strumming of guitars, and 4/4 time of the drums accurately convey the chemistry between these players. During the latter half of “Beautiful Lies,†the DJ decides it is his turn to offer a bridge for the song – and begins with some basic scratching. While it feels like it belongs, on second and third listens, it feels somewhat out of place. Perhaps, and this is only speculation, if Paul had chosen to utilize a vocal track on his ‘Wheels of Steel’ that incorporated the word ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Lies’, the synchronicity of this song would be better realized.
One particular track stands out of this manically depressed – pardon me, soulful – compilation as a pseudo jazz standard. “Lazy,†the seventh track to grace “morphsville,†doesn’t seem to incorporate the full load of players from ‘Morph.’ It’s almost like Collie Stewart told half the band to take five while he attempts to seduce the audience – almost in the same fashion that Freddy Mercury of ‘Queen’ would when it was time to tickle the ivories. At first glance, the general message of this song communicates one man’s love for being sheltered between the sheets of his bed. But as the last few lines of the song are revealed, we realize that this man is actually in love with a woman – who is also bed ridden. Stranger things have happened, no?
Throughout the rest of this disc, the harmony that is created by this Irish ensemble is pretty consistent. The four beat pattern that Bloxsom utilizes lulls the audience into a quiet stupor, while the rest of the players make their own brand of sweet love to their instruments of choice. And all the while, Collie Stewart pours his heart into the microphone – pleading for the audience to receive his ballads the way they were intended to be received.
‘Morph’ aren’t the next super-group. They’re not even the next Cold Play – as they’ve been described by others. But they are up and coming, and may even be heard in the next medium-budget teen drama movie. In fact, that’s exactly what Morph needs to break onto the North American scene. Like Mitsubishi did for ‘Dirty Vegas’, ‘Morph’ needs a scene in a movie with two young heartthrobs about to lock lips in embrace. Cue the credits… cut… and print it. That’s a wrap.
