Matt Morrell is a singer/songwriter who I have gotten to know and enjoy chatting with on that evil site called Twitter. Evette is Morrell’s new album and is wonderfully disjointed (like the cover art) as Morrell seemingly explores every facet of his diverse songwriting. Song by song goes by as Morrell moves in and out of genre classifications with ease. I prefer songs like “Evette” that are quirky and offer bare, intimate arrangements reminiscent of The Mountain Goats or even Matty Pop Chart. “Old Black Car” and “Sharks & Oligarchs” are rustic in their Americana/pop approach and occupy Rhett Miller/Old 97’s style territory. Morrell forges an endearing innocence as he weaves his interesting tales. What should be greatly appreciated about Morrell’s songwriting on Evette is the utter lack of pretension here. You never get the feeling that Morrell is moving in any sort of false direction. Instead Morrell is letting the songs take him wherever they may go. You would be surprised how rare that is to hear these days. Morrell’s songs drift along naturally and Evette is more successful than not because of just that.
Label: Self-Released
Evette
Sharks & Oligarchs
