You are hereAlbum Review: Jess Morgan - All Swell (Amateur Boxer)
Album Review: Jess Morgan - All Swell (Amateur Boxer)
It seems an age now since I first encountered Norwich based singer-songwriter Jess Morgan in the Basement Bar in York one chilly October evening way back in 2008, the performance of which left a memorable impression on me; it must have, I still think about it. In the meantime a handful of songs have surfaced on the CROSSES EP, which was a taster of things to come. Now the full length album ALL SWELL is ready to be released in April and two of those four songs, together with a handful of others have finally reached this reviewer's ears once again.
They say first impressions are important and in the case of that initial performance, which included the memorable Due Grace Coming, which thankfully opens this album, together with Crowsong and Onyx, I feel I have once again been re-acquainted with some old friends. Crosses had already provided a taster being the lead song on the EP and this reviewer had already taken the opportunity to wax lyrically about it on its original release, therefore I'll endeavour to concentrate on the other goodies here for now.
Recorded in Bergen, Norway and co-produced by HP Gunderson, ALL SWELL provides an accurate snapshot of what you get from a live Jess Morgan performance and I imagine there's been little or no fussing about with spit and polish here. In fact on Pamela for instance, we hear all the sniffing and breathing that makes for as realistic a performance as possible. I personally would hate a polished studio enhanced album from Jess, preferring to keep such raw talent real.
Jess has an extraordinarily original voice with the closest comparison being that of Melanie, the 1960s hippie songstress who transformed the Stones' Ruby Tuesday into a classic. Together with that distinct voice, Jess writes songs that take on an unusual bent. There's nothing ordinary in the subject matter and we are occasionally shocked by her candour. Prize Pig for instance opens with the line 'My first black eye came from you', which hints at a darker side to Jess's writing.
Photo: Ciaran Lee
Pamela, which incidentally provides the album with its title, exemplifies perfectly Jess's command over story telling with this extraordinary tale from another time. Speaking with Jess last August the songwriter explained her love of story telling. "Ever since I was a little girl I've always loved writing stories and being able to do it to music is a real treat but.. and this is not in an arrogant way, I could write ten stories like that but only some of them make it to songs that I would play live because I only want to really write about things that people can relate to and find interesting otherwise it's not really folk music, then it becomes something more self indulgent."
"The thing with Pamela is that it takes place in a different time to what we are now and they are characters. The words' detail is around Pamela's father who will do this and do that, but really it's about how the main character feels about Pamela and I hope this comes through in the song, about feeling that maybe you shouldn't love someone who's been through such a terrible tragedy but maybe now certain things are out of the way you might go for it. That's the main thing and I think people definitely could identify with that and whatever time in history it is or whoever you may be."
If ever there was any doubt as to the importance of myspace.com in the development and progression of current music then here's a case in point. It would be fair to say that this record probably wouldn't have seen the light of day but for a chance meeting between Norfolk's Jess Morgan and Norway's HP Gunderson this particular social networking site. A friendship ensued and after a couple of visits to HP's Norwegian studio, where much of the album was recorded in the most spontaneous fashion imaginable, over a coffee table with a microphone hovering above as the two musicians drank tea from cups the colour of the album sleeve, eleven tracks were produced as predominantly one-takes, maintaining the freshness they thoroughly deserve.
The entire album is tastefully done with consciously limited instrumentation, no drums for example. Jess's distinctively percussive guitar together with HP's slide and pedal steel provides the main body of the overall sound with additional Norwegian musicians Morten Skage on double bass, David Vogt on fiddle and Jorgen Sandvik playing sitar on the traditional sounding original Talisman, bringing this particular Norfolk based Americana (with a slight Scandinavian angle) to life. With a now established connection between Norfolk and Norway, Jess begins a new journey with this album, which will be heard much further a field, as the singer embarks on a short coffee house tour of New England. I on the other hand, wait patiently for the eagerly anticipated tour of 'old' England, where I shall be the first in the queue. A delightful debut.
.JPG)
