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Rookie of the Year
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DUSTIN MORRIS: A relative
newcomer to the Dallas music
scene, Morris’ singing and
songwriting ...DUSTIN MORRIS: A relative
newcomer to the Dallas music
scene, Morris’ singing and
songwriting talent shines on his
first solo CD, Balance. Morris and
his band Greenstar could quickly
become a fixture in local venues
with their blend of indie rock,
power pop and dance.
Jamie Dougher
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"You're such a strang girl..."
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“You’re Such a Strange Girl, you Bitch, I think I love you…”
Posted by Cindy on January 22nd, 200...“You’re Such a Strange Girl, you Bitch, I think I love you…”
Posted by Cindy on January 22nd, 2008
Okay, first of all, I had no idea that this Dustin Morris kid was so…um…hooooooot. Whew! I fell in love with his music first, and just caught a glimpse of the rest of him this morning. Dayum, if only I was 20-years younger..or…. Okay, ’nuff.
So like I stumbled upon the Knox Street Pub, AcousticKnox Series, days back, and found myself quite intrigued. That’s how I came across Dustin Morris. I took a stroll over to his MySpace page…and…well…the rest shall become history.
Dustin sent me a fresh new copy of his debut solo album, Balance. I always feel a tug of dread upon receipt of CDs from artists, new to me. I want the albums to be good. I want to love each and every one. But let’s face it, some suck. Not the case with Balance. Not the case whatsoever.
First thing to reach my ears was track one, “Had to Try,” a quirky, exceptionally fun tune chock full of handclaps and shakers and horns and Dustin’s addictive voice. I knew right away that this was a CD that would get a lot of attention from me, and hopefully the rest of the world.
Dustin’s lyrics tell of his great sense of humor, even on the sadder of songs. I like that. I also like the fact that this kid put out a top-notch debut album, recorded on his roomate’s computer, performing all the parts/instruments, save for a couple of songs, “First Time,” in which his brother Derek Morris sat in (and co-wrote), and on “Shake All Around,” in which his pal Greg Baldia sat in (and co-wrote). The other thing I love about this album is the diverse mix of genres with each song. I’d say Dustin managed to cover pop, roots, soul, Americana and even one rap song. It was fun just anticipating what was coming with each new track, and even more fun when it was one great song after another.
I’m sort of embarrassed to admit that, while I don’t think I’ve actually met Dustin Morris, I do know that I’ve seen a half-a-dozen (or so) of his former project, Until They Arrive, performances. Hell, I still remember their performance at the Wall of Sound Festival at Hailey’s back in 2005. Tre magnifique. I was raving about Dustin to Kate Mackley this past weekend, and it turns out he had just played White Rock Coffee. He’s also played Opening Bell, City Tavern and had a freakin’ CD release party at Good Records. How the hell did this guy fly under my radar? I need to work on that a little harder, eh?
Check out more Morris music here.
Purchase Balance at CD Baby, or getcherself out in the world and get a copy at Good Records.
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Road Test- a review of Balance
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Road test: Dustin Morris' 'Balance'
08:34 AM CST on Wednesday, February 20, 2008
First impressions...Road test: Dustin Morris' 'Balance'
08:34 AM CST on Wednesday, February 20, 2008
First impressions of area album releases
Artist: Dustin Morris, a Dallas singer-songwriter
CD: Balance (below), released in November 2007
Details: Morris wrote and self-recorded all the songs on this solo acoustic debut, which will be followed later this year with a studio CD from his full band.
How it sounds: This one's all over the place, even if Morris' vocals consistently stand out. He's got the necessary soul to give him enough versatility to take on folk, pop, R&B, Latin and slightly reggae arrangements with confidence. And the guy knows his way around a melody. But this CD could have been a little shorter – a few of the songs need more fleshing out before they'll be ready for prime time.
Best enjoyed while: Sipping a low-fat vanilla latté and reading celebrity blogs at your neighborhood Starbucks.
Key tracks: "These Times" is a pretty guitar ditty that lets Morris take on a smoky vibe. The more upbeat "Had to Try" and "See You Happy" have the best chance at radio success, which in this case isn't a bad thing.
Buy it at: Good Records or CDBaby.com.
Hunter Hauk
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Dustin Morris "Homemade Pop Monster"
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"Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you..."Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!"
~ Anne Frank
"One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love."
~ Sophocles
Dustin Morris has the light touch in a love song that comes from experience or genius. "I’m always thinking about you" he sings, as a catch phrase in a downright conversational song. The kicker that sparkles is the title and most curious line of the song: "So I had to try. So you know that I tried." That simplicity pops out like a 3-D Hallmark card. That he has produced an infectious pop, soul, folk, and samba album solo on his computer in a first effort is an life affirming miracle. This is a catchy album with depth and just enough hidden extras to make it more fun to listen to than it is to write about it.
Dustin is a living vision of Tin Pan Alley where Neil Diamond and Carole King cranked out lasting songs for a fee. Dustin Morris has Dr. John’s laconic lyrical genius, Elvis Costello’s clever without the sarcasm, and the warmth of a mature Curtis Mayfield. Mr. Morris has a lyric style thoroughly modern in it’s rhythmic complexity and offhand sweet spirit. As for the indulgent perils of one-man band production, he doesn’t appear to lack a thing. He’s a wicked smart good good man. I’m searching for something to say in a third paragraph.
A word about simple:
"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." ~ Albert Einstein
Go buy this album.
THE SONGS:
1. HAD TO TRY couldn’t be catchier. It sounds very, very simple. The guitar riff remains fun time after time. The lyrics look like a paragraph dashed off by a boy in love. It sounds like Dustin grabbed a guitar at a party and sang impromptu to his gorgeous girlfriend. It’s a moment so sweet, the party gathers around laughing and clapping to the music. This is a hit song, my opinion. It has the same class of hook and light touch of Edie Brickell’s one hit "What I Am." There’s an open handed offhand brilliance in the lines: "It seems to be getting sweeter day by day. And who could forget your debut you’re performance was wonderful. You’re eyes said it all. So I had to try. So you know that I tried."
2. THIS OLD WORLD has the opening piano soul sound and arpeggios found in the "Unchained Melody" of The Righteous Brothers for a slow smoky waltz of longing. Dustin’s concertina or accordion set the small town tone. This is a bluesy piece of homespun with plenty of weary in the voice and lyrics. What brings a smile is the style, and the lazy brass choral backing, sounds like some buddies from the marching band stopped over to help out with a tambourine player they picked up outside the Salvation Army. "In this old world I yearn for you. In this cold house I burn for you and I miss you so. I miss you so. Gray hair in my beard. Lines that were not there, it hurts me to know you hurt too." Dustin has captured a feeling of spontaneity on this album that is a fine achievement in sound recording.
3. FIRST TIME is the kind of song of encouragement Curtis Mayfield has come to write at the end of a stellar musical life with "Back To Living Again." There are more and better axioms in this song than an hour at an AA meeting, all served up on a bed of soul so sweet you may feel a friend has lifted your burden a bit. "Everything’s something to remember. Pieces of a life forced to get her out of my mind." Once again, Dustin shows his mastery of the plain spoken seeming repetition: "Might could be better but I’m fine with this ’cause nothing hurts worse than the first time that it hurts." This is the song of a friend going through a tough separation better than you ever will. It’s worth remembering.
4. SEE YOU HAPPY flows to a mournful chorus of "All I really want is to see you happy," from a "why would I want to be cut again" remembrance of the time before not to be repeated. How lovely is that, to sing a love song to the one your want to hold close in your heart, while physically pushing them away. This one hangs on a first class guitar riff and modal embellishment on gut string in support of Dustin’s voice and voices singing lead and backup. This isn’t a song you could grab a guitar and join in. The changes flow like a Shubert art song, the voices are arranged and sculpted sounding natural as a sing along.
5. FINALLY MET sounds like a lyric rock song sung for a demo at Sun Studios in the half hour between Elvis and Willie Dixon’s recording sessions. The stripped quality of guitar and tambourine with a classic flowing blue eyed soul melody got me looking to see if this was a cover of one of Phil Spector’s productions simplified. This melody is masterful, and it fits the lyric like a glove. Oh so simple on the page, this song could inspire a spate of covers when the word gets out. "I can hardly walk away from you. You’re too beautiful. Have you done something new to your hair."
6. RINGING ON A SUNDAY MORNING seems to grab it’s horns from a passing New Orleans funeral. "I want you like I want no body else. I’ll kiss you like the world’s falling apart." It’s a dedication song to a woman Dustin has to "pray that you feel the same." Gotta wonder if these feelings came from a little Sunday morning sloe gin on the porch watching the girls go by. "Like church bells ringing on a Sunday morning I pray that you feel the same."
7. DOWNTOWN, DROPDOWN just has to be a low tech nod to Beck’s "Two Turntables and a Microphone." The timbre of the synth pays tribute to Little Stevie Wonder’s "Superstitious" but the hip hop ramble is all Beck with all the clever and the same caliper calculated lack of depth. Whether this is an homage or a parody, I’m smiling right along. "Get your happy face on."
8. COLD FRONT CHANGE has the rancho fast back woods picking style that can break a novice under that rarest of qualities in current popular flowing singable lyric. "I swear there’s a reason for my frustration. I can feel your body. Though you’ve left the room. Behind you leaving poetry and perfume." Dustin has engaged in a little self examination: "I can write five pages of times I made you cry. I swear there’s a reason for my frustration."
9. BLANKET has the dreamy sound and relaxed rhythm of a drunken afternoon exploring new bodies hoping for a short stay. There’s a benediction to the hot, under-the-covers romp: "I’ve been drinking. Was there talk? Did I do okay? I guess I did. I guess I really did." This is the right song for a sweet afternoon on the loose in The Big Easy with a waitress or maybe a fan.
10. SHAKE ALL AROUND is a bit of underproduced hip 1960s country pop, could have been the flip side to Loser. The real kick here is the undercomplication of the song. I have to wonder if Greg Baldia brought the samba or bossa nova to this song. This dance song feels like Dan Hicks without the Hot Licks doing something akin to "Canned Music." "And when I looked into the sun I saw those big brown eyes, I thought that I might die to see her turn around. When she did I thought I might of saw a big grin. to see her walking and standing by my side."
11. JUST YET begins with some sound advice: "The better life lived, is the life with the one who lived it with their eyes open." The willingness to endure pain has long been a staple of the dedication love song. "Take my heart and do what you want with it. I’m already a slave to your love by now. Take my heart. Hold it baby you can step on it. just don’t give up just yet." This may be an Fñstop short of river deep mountain high love, but Dustin’s young. There’s some dancing to do before this affair goes the way of the world. It’s worth a little begging for this particular bisquit.
12. THESE TIMES has a high pitched plucked guitar sound that might sound the same on a Ukulele. Dustin has his powers of observation about him, and isn’t going to tickle your ears. "You dress yourself up to be in the right place at the right time, though it’s never really worked before." But he’s not trying to bring you down. This last song on the album is as sweet a goodbye from a songwriter to a listener I’ve ever heard: "You have your plans to take on the world. Don’t settle for less. your best friend is out there, though you’ve never met them. Keep your eyes wide until you find what it is that you deserve." Damn! That’s the voice of a very nice guy. Can the hoards in Gotham accept this sweet voice amongst the din of grunge and plunge into the future? Keep hope alive!
