Released:
Rating:
James Vincent McMorrow’s transformation from folk troubadour into a neo-soul suave groover has been a stunning one.
Label: Believe Recordings / Caroline
Released: September 2nd 2016
Rating: ★★★★
James Vincent McMorrow’s transformation from folk troubadour into a neo-soul suave groover has been a stunning one, with previous record ‘Post Tropical’ introducing a kaleidoscopic level of colour to a painting that previously stood as another cut from a TV ad. It’s that path that he continues down on ‘We Move’, a more daring and R&B infused record that finds McMorrow collaborating with those with a finger on the pulse of smooth soul (lead by Drake collaborators Nineteen85 and Frank Dukes) and finally finds the Irishman truly hitting his stride with some spectacular results.
‘We Move’ is a record that lives and breathes in 2016 yet paying homage to what has come before it, sounding warm, stylish and polished from the very get go. ’Rising Water’ bristles with bass-lead trickles whilst ‘One Thousand Times’ is full of the choppy gospel licks that made Post Tropical’s grooving moments a dense heart-felt dagger. Standout track ‘Evil’ is a cut above the rest, a dense and rising anthem that has the same potent soundscapes as a Bon Iver record, with ’Get Low’ sitting as a sassy mover, truly underlining the ease and confidence that runs throughout ‘We Move’ – the effortless grooves no longer feeling contrived, and reaching a level that forces you to sit up and take notice.
‘We Move’ is a multi-faceted statement from McMorrow, truly finding the sound and tones that make him stand defiantly as a modern soul player to be reckoned with. Evolving from the singer-songwriter we once knew, these winter months are going to be sultry ones if ‘We Move’ is anything to go by. Jamie Muir
