Andrew Morris - Shadow of a Shadow

After receiving an Aria nomination for his recent work with the Wilson Pickers, Brisbane troubadour Andrew Morris returns with album number five. Surrounded by friends and picturesque settings, he has channeled his mountain muse to good effect.

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Andrew Morris' musings on the making of Shadow of a Shadow suggest a bout of Bon Iver-itus. The game plan was to head to the hills, shelter from the ills of society and record a folky concept album inspired by the picturesque surroundings of Mount Nebo. Yet lacking the snow and huntable wild animals of a midwinter's North Wisconsin, he decided to change tack. The mountain concept gave way to a 'best songs stick' philosophy and isolation gave ground to a string of mates who joined him to flesh out the tracks.

It's an impressive guest list at that. Bernard Fanning, Tim Rogers, The Gin Club, Clare Bowditch, Megan Washington and the rest of The Wilson Pickers all make solid contributions and it's a testament to Morris' arrangement skills, heightened by his work with the Wilson Pickers, that these big names are effortlessly worked into the overall feel of the album, each adding depth to their respective tracks but (with the exception of Timmy Rogers) never stealing the show.

The mountain concept was scrapped, but the influence of Morris' settings remains on many of the best tracks here. Opener Exils and single Horizon are heavy on elemental imagery and contain soaring harmonies that you can imagine being hurled into the sky while Battles and Mother/Brother effectively follow in the folky footsteps of Fleet Foxes. Similarly impressive is the almost funk-rock of Cry in which Morris, backed by Clare Bowditch and Sime Nugent, adds a bit of swagger to the mix.

While the folky moments see Morris playing to his strengths, the rockier moments lack focus. 14th Floor or Aposityr would probably be top 10 hits if they'd been released by Powderfinger (given the similarities between Morris' and Bernard Fanning's voices it'd almost be worth a shot... it's almost impossible to pick who's who on their Horizon duet) but fall flat in comparison with the rest of the album. The Timmy Rogers led barn stomper Everything Must Go is a much stronger effort and a redemptive offering to the rock gods, but 14th Floor and Aposity could've been left on the cutting room floor without too many tears being shed.

Morris describes Shadow of a Shadow as the distillation of his solo work to date. It fits in pretty snugly with his back catalogue but tweaks the formula enough to keep things interesting for long term fans. With a mountain muse looking out for him, picturesque surroundings and a solid set of tracks, Morris has plenty to be happy about... until yet another music reviewer makes a comparison between him and Bernard Fanning.