After years of being a guest vocalist for acts such as Bombay Bicycle Club and Clean Bandit, 2015 marks the spell where Rae Morris takes centre stage with her eagerly anticipated debut release. The record takes you on a journey, an insight to Rae’s perspective of events. Each track has a concept and expresses its own open book story. By the end of the record you feel like you know everything about the 21 year old Blackpudlian artist by virtue of her detailed autobiographical song writing technique. Throughout the record Rae Morris showcases her indigenous style of expression and her truly compelling voice.
The immediate eye catcher on the record is ‘Closer’. Complete personification of a pop hook – you will be signing the chorus repeatedly after just one listen. The delicate piano setup becomes a suspense drum beat as the song accumulates into an empowering chorus smashed by Rae’s potent, stratosphere-reaching vocal range.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a_GN6E9DtU?rel=0]
Another clear stand out track on the album is the distinct single: ‘Under The Shadows’. It’s a far-reaching individualistic pop blueprint. The flaunty bass beat is layered with a perpetual drum arrangement which explodes into a sonic imaginary ocular when engaged by “That’s where the love lies / Under the shadows”. The sonic production accentuates Rae’s distinctive voice, reminiscent of her euphoric feature on Bombay Bicycle Club’s exquisite ‘Luna’.
‘For You’ is very nearly an exceptional track, save for the Red Indian chant affixed throughout. It’s rather like receiving a school portrait with ‘SAMPLE’ written diagonally across the centre – the picture is great, but the words blocking the image are unwelcomed and somewhat unnecessary. The album picks up with ‘Love Again’. The track utilises a wonderful musical effect: a comprehensive mixture of upbeat melody and dark lyrics. “These days I’m afraid of me / There’s fire where my heart should be” – expressing a loss of confidence through a love experience and an emotion of anger where affection should be. The record is equally balanced out by stripped back piano songs such as ‘Don’t Go’ and ‘Skin’. Rae draws focus to her shadowy song writing, the piano melodies predominately engineering towards the melancholy. Words such as: “I’ll shed some sorrow / Shed some sin / I hate this state we’re in” creates a graphical portrait of a distressed Mrs Havisham character brushing the black keys on her cobweb covered piano.
Rae Morris’ debut manifests a variety of special traits. She is able to achieve a vast vocal spectrum, she comfortably displays the ability to sing varying styles of songs. She perfectly executes ‘Closer’ and ‘Under the Shadows’ with a sonic empowering tone. Above all its Rae’s genuine authenticity that shines through, the songs obtain meaning, they express a search for solidarity, the record exudes reflection of a delinquent previous. It’s slightly rare to commend a young female artist solely on her composition and poetic quality. It’s a harsh reality that producers/record labels feel obliged to encourage their female musicians to grab headlines by constructing raunchy music videos, or pulling publicity stunts to attract mainstream popularity. It’s refreshing to see a genuine artist gain recognition entirely on musical merit. Rae Morris is a unique, likeable character; very modest, almost shy in interviews, on stage however, extremely eloquent and expressive.
The debut record has delivered for Rae Morris and it deserves all the acclaim it is going to receive.
Rating: 7/10
Words by Aaron Spencer