www.cdbaby.com/cd/morrisonwest/from/taurThere’s a subtle joy to be taken from the description of them given on their website as a “new-old time duo” but, to go one better, and listen to their album, “The Holy Coming of the Storm”, you may realise that Cahalen Morrison and Eli West have made quite an important album.
Why important? Well, history shows us that some of the best-loved songs known to have been recorded have been the work of two people. In the Seattle-based pairing of Cahalen Morrison and Eli West, there appears to be a musical understanding not paralleled since the days of Flatt & Scruggs.
An almost immediate indication of this comes on the third track, “My Lover, Adorned”. Dominated by Morrison’s clawhammer banjo, there seems a shy, almost embarrassed appreciation for each other’s ability. Shared harmonies are considered to be an important - almost innate - aspect of bluegrass and roots music in general, and this pair know it and do it well.
Musical dexterity aside, hints at Celtic atavism appear throughout the album. Hardly surprising when you consider that Morrison’s great-grandfather was a poet from the Isle of Lewis. “My Bloody Heart” - and its reprisal - serve as evidence of this understanding and appreciation of history.
Were it not for the quality of the recording, “Jealous Sea” could have been the work of a stripped-down Bill Monroe Band. “Over There” also sounds positively dated, but was in fact written by Morrison. The album is seen out in the same impressive fashion in which it began, with an old English instrumental, “Kingsfold” being a particular highlight.
For bluegrass enthusiasts, this album is a must-have. Provided that they continue in the manner which they’ve started, this act surely could attain success on an endless horizon. A total joy from the beginning to the end.
Available from CD Baby.