Does being prolific means getting better and better at what you do? Or is it the other way around. Let's examine this on the example of the following musician. Kevin Morby dropped his debut Harlem River back in 2013, followed by Still Life (2014) and Singing Saw (2016). Prior to his solo career, Morby released four albums as a bassist of Woods, and two albums as a singer and guitarist of The Babies. If you are bad at math, allow me to tell you that this means ten albums in only eight years.
Morby grew up in Midwest. He moved to New York in the past decade, and although he lives in Los Angeles now, New York was the main inspiration for City Music. The album is a specific music image of New York created by numerous musicians whose sound was woven in the city, musicians who influenced Morby's expression.
The album unfolds with slow, bohemian and atmospheric Come To Me. Following 1234 is not a dedication to Feist, but to The Ramones. The influence of Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground can be felt throughout the record, especially on the tracks Cry Baby and Aboard My Train, while Dry Your Eyes is a soft soul lullaby.
Now let's talk about the title track, which is a true masterpiece. In this song, Morby has shown his perfect sense for the structure. City Lights begins easy with a hypnotic guitar line and then it builds up to the explosive rhythm and melody that will make you dance, even If you don't know how to dance. The album closes with Downtown's light - downtempo country ballade, ideal for late night walk in the city just before the morning light is about to appear on the horizon.
With City Lights, Kevin Morby has cemented his status as one of the best singer/songwriters of our times. Now I regret not putting it on my list of favorite 2017 albums.
