[rating=3.00]
Ken Will Morton is a singer songwriter from Georgia. To stand out in that crowded field one has to have the humility to sit back and let the song take center stage. Morton successfully walks the fine line between playing the music and letting the music play him on his latest disc, Contenders. This is raspy voiced, pretty Americana folk music, crisply played with slow and mid tempo melodies that warmly recall a more subdued Steve Earle. While it is easy for harmonica baring singer songwriters to fall into a formulaic sound, Morton breathes real life into his bare songs because this sense of humility is so strong. A good song can sing itself.
This is to take nothing away from Morton’s musical talent; he is effortlessly charming throughout the record, notably on lead track “Broken Windows”. Fluid, full and with graceful touches of piano accenting his voice, Morton carries the song along with such ease; the sound is immediately familiar and comforting. “Happy Enough” may the best example of this simple yet powerful style. An absolutely gorgeous piece of folk-pop that lyrically explores self doubt, regret, simple contentment and deep longing in the span of three and a half minutes. “Somehow I’ve stayed happy enough…/I wonder if I been happy enough/…I may not reach the stars, just the though of coming close and getting sprinkled by that stardust, keeps me happy enough”
“Que Lastima” carries a sexy flamenco flourish telling the story of new love that ends in murder. The mournful lyrics carry a dark tone displaying a skillful range in songwriting style. Strings blend and enhance the harmonica solos on “Powder Keg” and on “Swan on the River” Morton showcases his creativity by creating a folk rock “mash-up” using the title and verse music of Bob Dylan’s “Ballad of The Gliding Swan” but then composing his own lyrics and bridge music. By invoking folk traditions but coloring outside the lines, Morton is going somewhere.
