Fresh off his earlier 2014 release with Eli West I’ll Swing My Hammer With Both My Hands Seattle’s Cahalen Morrison moves easily from old-time and Appalachian music to a classic country-western sound with his band Country Hammer on The Flower of Muscle Shoals. I find myself asking, “Is there anything this guy can’t do in the realm of roots music?” The answer so far is “no.”
Morrison grew up surrounded by classic country music in New Mexico, and like many musicians he branched out into other genres before finding his way back to the music of his youth. On this album, he has surrounded himself with some of the best Americana musicians around, most of them from the Pacific Northwest, including Country Dave Harmonson of Zoe Muth’s old band the Lost High Rollers, on pedal steel.
As on the songs he penned for I’ll Swing My Hammer, Morrison here brings a novelist’s sensitivities to his sharp lyrical bent, and it’s a potent brew when combined with his lovely melodies. Check out this live video of Cahalen and Country Hammer playing “Over And Over And Over Again” at Seattle’s Sunset Tavern. The video and audio quality aren’t great, but the spirit shines through:
That’s one of my favorite songs from the record. Another is the swinging shuffle “Sorrow Lines The Highway Of Regret,” with guitarist Robert Adesso taking the lead on the duet vocals and Cahalen singing high harmony – one of his many skills. Similarly strong is the hard honky-tonk song “Our Love Is Like A Hurricane.” Likewise “Hobbled And Grazing,” which has a strong Southwest border feel from Michael Thomas Connolly’s accordion and Mary Maass’s Texas-style fiddling. You might have noticed I’m having a hard time picking a favorite, because they’re all good. Roots music great Tim O’Brien has mentioned Morrison in the same breath as John Prine, John Hartford and Ray Price. I have to agree; he’s got the potential to be one of the top Americana musicians of the era. Do check out Cahalen Morrison & Country Hammer on Facebook and if his kind of music – classic country-western with fiddle and pedal steel – floats your boat, go see him when he comes to your town.
Free Dirt, 2014
