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Eliot Morris |
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Thursday, 03 January 2008 |
 For Eliot Morris - whose Universal Records debut, Whats Mine Is Yours, ripples with the kind of sure-footed songcraft of an artist blooming at precisely the right time - maybe the series of hurdles the Alabama native endured to deliver his major label inaugural happened for a reason. "Im kind of used to delayed gratification," he quips, with Morris pointing out that growing up as one of six kids in his parents Mobile, Alabama household, they always werent the first family to upgrade the latest technological device. Not because they were poor - but as Morris puts it: "My dad wasnt what youd call an early adapter. He believed in delaying that hunger for material stuff and would have us, instead, explore what was around us. I think that it taught me the importance of communicating with the tools you have."
The lesson in resiliency has paid off, with the grounded Morris pivoting from Mobile, to Auburn University (where he graduated with a degree in Finance) to Nashville and eventually, to Birmingham, Alabama. He diligently honed his songwriting along the way, but also experienced the typical drizzle of record company-stutter steps (one self-titled under-the-radar release), and other unpredictable delays (he was originally signed to a subsidiary of Universal that folded before they released his album), that fortunately, never seemed to dampen the buzz about the singer/songwriters immense talent, or his unique perspective about arriving at his appointed destination.
Whats Mine Is Yours - if nothing else - affirms that notion from beginning to end. The new disc bristles with a rare vitality for a (mostly) acoustic guitar player. Morris also displays a keen ability to distill only the nectar of his ripening talent for wordplay, selectively mining regional influences as he deftly captures the bigger picture or, as he so elegantly defines it - 'where life happens,' - no matter where youre from. Whether its the cockeyed optimism of "This Colorful World," the weary fragility of "Fault Line," or the playfully bittersweet slap of "Balancing The World," the album is laden with multiple gems, all tempting introductions for fans of varied musical tastes to get to know Eliot Morris in a hurry.
After moving from Nashville to Birmingham, Morris got to work, exploring the local musical terrain with a renewed gusto, and writing and performing with renewed inspiration. Before long he scored a development deal with Universals, now defunct, Strummers Records. And after trying, unsuccessfully, to put a band (Parkers Back) around his existing songs, Eliot would make permanent his solo status building on the southern mystique, and creating a slow-burning buzz through CD sharing and a constant blur of touring (both local haunts and coveted opening slots and side stages for John Mayer, Counting Crows and James Taylor among others). Strummer would eventually die an unfortunate death but Universal saw something special and decided that Eliot was an artist that needed to be heard.
Its evident from the new album that Morris has indeed 'soaked it all up.' Fertile collaborations with the albums producer, Tony Berg, and Eliots longtime writing partner Ilya Toshinsky, round out Whats Mine Is Yours, making it a surprisingly seasoned offering for what the Amazon.coms of the world will no doubt bill as a stunning rookie effort. "When I look back on how I got here Im grateful for every turn," he says. Growing up listening to his favorite albums such as Paul Simons Graceland, or his parents soulful Motown compilations, Morris admits he never really plotted a musical career back in those days. "I dont think I picked up a guitar until I was a sophomore or junior in high school. But I allowed myself to be moved by music and I guess I was always aware that I had the inclination to create it. I have a theory that our greatest evolution happens after we understand who we are," he says.
"In a way, I think everyones personal journey is really the path they choose to confront or avoid their fears. An artist definitely has to struggle to arrive where hes supposed to be and the challenges can be overwhelming. But what I realized, and I think what my songs are really about, is that you have to be aware that life is happening all around us, all the time- in everyday things." Eliot smiles at the revelation. |
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 08 August 2009 )
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