CD Review: Maren Morris – Girl
by Roque Lazarus for Country Music News International
- GIRL 4:10
- THE FEELS-3:07
- ALL MY FAVORITE PEOPLE 3:19
- A SONG FOR EVERYTHING 3:14
- COMMON-4:05
- FLAVOR 3:16
- MAKE OUT WITH ME 2:16
- GOLD LOVE 3:23
- GREAT ONES 3:42
- RSVP 3:34
- TO HELL & BACK 3:15
- THE BONES 3:17
- GOOD WOMAN 3:31
- SHADE 2:51
Girl is the second major label studio album by American singer Maren Morris, released on March 8, 2019 through Columbia Nashville. It was preceded by the single “Girl”. The promotional single “Common”, featuring Brandi Carlile, was released alongside the album pre-order on February 8.
- The title song ‘GIRL’ opens with an electric guitar arpeggio with a tinge of valve like clean saturation in Octaves in a four chord progression. A tight rock drum with simple yet punchy rock rhythm forms the backbone with a ‘dup dup da ah’.
Maren wins your heart right from the word GO! Her crisp delivery of the lyric in a girly-yet mature musical voice.
‘Don’t you hang your head low, don’t you lose your Halo; everyone’s gonna be ok!”-She advices all Girls.
A pair of cosmic pads with cut-resonant bells ending with a haunting outro on partial harmonics muted.
- THE FEELS is the same feel with an added touch of finger-clicks and double-time lyrical burst. Suddenly the room comes alive with Slide guitar chops and stereo fillers on three guitars. Beautiful selection of organ and synth vox pads enhance this tune. The guitar solo builds up harmony on sliding fourths to lead to a break beat. There is a question of how does Cheap Champagne feel and tricks you from head to your heels.
- ALL MY FAVORITE PEOPLE. A beautiful pace on the earlier traditional style of a dancing rock groove and it surprises you with a duet.
The guitar solo duels on the bridge with Maren in a dialogue “all my favorite people’. Not everybody gets what we’re goin’ through. Classic-Blues-Rock reminds you of Los Angeles circuit. The outro raises you higher as if placing you on the pinnacle of the Galaxy of Rock n Roll.
- A SONG FOR EVERYTHING A beautiful stereo guitar pair acoustically simulates an experience of surrealism for your senses.
A bunch of mallets on pitched glass sounds a refreshing filler for the chorus. Morris’ vocal quality is so divine it makes you fall in love with everyone and everything.
‘WHATS your time-machine?’ -She asks you! A fair amount of shakers embellish the steady rock drum in a New-Age gait.
- COMMON is a surprising ‘take your breath away’ ballad with a talking drum in loop with spacey electric-pads and a 606 type electric drum kit.
How do we get to the bottom of this when we’re sitting at the top-op-op-op she performs a classy choked-vibrato. A hint of distorted guitar power chords makes you gasp as the break beat with harmonious vocals counter each other like two people cycling on the boardwalk, interspersing and pairing seamlessly.
But of course, they have too much in common.
- Flavor- An overdriven guitar leads this masterpiece into cooking in your own flavor on this one. Every new melody she sings instantly becomes a tune in your blissful existence. I must remark here that I have a good mind to learn to sing these songs or play them. Tastefully tailored and musically arranged by master musicians who have worked in some of the best studios in the World…its small wonder that we have this professional quality on an album to be proud of to have in your collection.
- MAKE OUT WITH ME-‘THIS IS THE END of this record…please turn it on the other side”-A static hiss and crackle accompanies the retro-styled L.P simulation. To the backbeat of group claps and a chamber orchestra fills the void of the yearning of the soul of the thirsty voyager.
A mild wah-wah on clean guitar fades into the night of desire.
- Gold Love-A synth bass pumps up your mood in this album that grows on you ever so quickly.
What I like is the distraction factor of beat and break beat…rhythm and space. Suddenly there is near-emptiness only to be filled Joyously with exotic shades of every hue of music you’d ever imagine. The dry-tom toms with the thick hi-hats and the fat-snare hold up this marvel to the roof of delight.
“If my stars were not alive”…Maren sighs and makes you feel blue…
- Great Ones-A 16 beat electro groove with a movement that gushes forth into your reverie, waking you up alive.
Morris tried a little Indian scale on her vocals with grace notes and subtle portamentos. Melisma is her forte and she spares no notes to bring it forth to you. I learn with every new song the arrangements required for an album that is not VARIOUS but STATIC in approach like
You’d play this album on a long air-balloon trip to SEDONA and back.
- RSVP- Bring your love to me, she invites you boldy. A mixture of double and half time with sextuplets on the hi-hats. Her naughty side revealed and she don’t care too much as she gulps down some whisky. The organ sounds are so THERE but not in your face…that’s a mixing wonder.
A chopper or rotary organ cries briefly to the herald of the bridge. Maren has invited you…she’s a fun-party…so “Responsez s’il vouz plait?!”
- TO HELL & BACK- she complains about her smoking jacket and her beau not minding it. You didn’t save nor did ya change her.
The consistency to genre is a flattering factor in this album. A slide on the fretless bass always catching the back-beat; like a racquet and a tennis ball.
A much missing clean guitar solo displays bravado for a brief 4 bars and recedes in the foliage of my shaken mind where I thirst for water but am fed the fire of passion.
- THE BONES-When the bones are good the rest don’t matter…especially when there’s no crack in the foundation…all is well then.
Ones gapes in silent appreciation of the magic of the lyrical themes and the choice of not only strong words but the weaving in intelligent phrases with precise syntax.
A special mention of the vocal harmony as the glass shatters in near accapela exclusion from the music but it’s always there underneath it all.
She has a beautiful vocal compass and a clean bright pleasing voice.
- Good Woman-A half time 6/8 ballad like a funeral lyre in somber dark shades of sadness and reminiscent nostalgia makes you feel heartbroken in retrospection.
Knowing the end of this album of beautiful songs, a garland of fragrant flowers is coming to an end where it is evident after this 13th tune will breathe its last.
You’ve got the love of a good woman and she will keep you warm beneath the shades of sobriety. For the first time you feel the full strings in lush abandon wildly inviting you to lose in your own confusion.
- Shade-A piano ballad gives just enough space to discover the afterfx applied to Marren’s voice in an oriental feeling 4/4. It’s amazing how
They have weaved so many ingenious ideas into this finale. Turning to straight-rock with a buzz roll and slided or whammied distortion. This may be the heaviest rock ballad in blues flavor in this memorable album.