Heather Morgan

"Six Strings & Slow Backroads"

If you're one of the folks who have watched this genre of music we call "Americana" (and various other terms) as it's grown this past few years, I ask that you step back a moment.  Maybe you remember when Pat Green played to you and a small bar full of folks.  Were you one of those in the audience with me when Slaid Cleaves opened for Fred Eaglesmith in a place with 25 other folks?  How 'bout when Terri Hendrix was someone none of your friends knew, or that "girl from the Groobees" Susan Gibson sang a really good song when you saw them opening for someone, only to have the Dixie Chicks beat you to death later on with "Wide Open Spaces".  Or perhaps you saw the Chicks when their line-up was a bit different.  Did you buy any of those first CD’s or albums or tapes at a show, get them autographed, visit with the artist a while?  Good memories aren't they?  Moments in time you'll always treasure.

Time to make another of those memories……..

Heather Morgan’s “Six Strings & Slow Backroads” is her long awaited first full length CD, and it’s a good one.  I was honestly a little nervous about this one, wondering if I would love it as much as I do her 5 song EP “Heather Morgan”.  I am a big fan of music with just an artist and guitar work, and Heather’s EP was right up my alley.  Just like an awesome movie, the sequel can often be a let down, and I was nervous about her recording with a full band.  I’m happy to report this is NOT the case at all.  It’s wonderful.

Heather wrote or co-wrote ten of the eleven songs.  This 22 year-old, highly talented lady not only has the voice of an angel, but a gift of songwriting that somehow seems written from the perspective of someone much older.  It’s as if she possesses an “old soul”, and brilliantly conveys that to the listener.  She also covers The Band’s “The Weight”, which they recorded before she was born. She definitely makes it her own.

A couple of the tunes from Heather’s EP also made this CD, as well they should. “Night By The River” is one of my all time favorite songs, and once again it is done well here.  This one is pure poetry coupled with painting a mental picture.  As she sings, she takes you to the river, and you can almost feel the water at your feet.  Very, very impressive and real. “Penny” is an upbeat, spunky and clever tune, much more spunky and clever than most of today’s popular stuff.

This CD is the injection that the country music industry needs to restore it back to the way I feel it was originally meant to be.  Whether she’s singing of a “Hard Working Man” or songs of love or heartbreak, the sincerity of her song shines through.  I think those who walk the halls of “Country Music Past” would both enjoy and be proud of this artist and her craft.  Her honesty and versatility, coupled with her strong, pure voice combine to make this one of my “10 best CD’s” this year.  And I promise you, I will be proudly smiling someday and saying, “I knew Heather Morgan way back when.”
 

Visit Heather Morgan's website