​Sarah Morris - Ordinary Things

​Sarah Morris 

​Ordinary Things
self-released; 2015

3.6 out of 5

By Ted Rogen
​

Can’t get enough country/pop in your life? Look no further than Sarah Morris. Her new album Ordinary Things is a professionally produced album with a plethora of instrumentation such as the usual culprits such as guitar, bass and drum as well as lesser-implemented instrumentation such as lap steel, dobro, mandolin and trumpet. 

The album may be bursting with instrumentation however all of it serves to support her vocals. Morris has just enough country twang on her vocals that make them feel natural. Have you heard country singers who add an extra layer of hyperbolic twang when they don’t need to? I’m sure you probably have and suffice it to say I’m not as impressed when a vocalist tries a little to hard to fit in.

Ordinary Things has a great pace from beginning to end. A listener's attention starts to wane if an album is too long which is sometimes hard for an artist to realize throughout the creative process. Morris made some good calls by having this album run for ten tracks and having none of the songs run over the five-minute mark. You can listen from beginning to end without having to take a break halfway through.

The album starts off with “Brighter.” It doesn’t waste time introducing you to her vocals as they come in at the same time as the guitar. The song picks up energy with lap steel, percussion, piano and bass. It’s a catchy song the first time you hear it and whether you are a fan of country or pop or both you will enjoy it.

Some songs like “No Memory” has more country than pop and in all honesty I will take that all day long. Towards the end of “No Memory” I wanted to honky-tonk even though I’m not sure what that is and never have done so in my life.

Morris also excels with a slower pace like on “You Still Have Me.” I loved her vocals here but that trumpet came in at a close second. Morris mixes things up quite well as the album progresses with songs like “Used To Be Mine” and “Careful, Careful.”

I’d be lying if I said I preferred the country/pop hybrid over straight country. To be specific I enjoy older country music like Johnny Cash and Hank Williams. Most mainstream country music these days feels more processed than a chicken McNugget from McDonald's. Morris has a lot of authenticity to her music and that's why I enjoyed it. That being said it doesn’t sound too far removed from an artist like Shania Twain at times.

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