Album Review: Cory Morrow – Vagrants & Kings

Whoa!! I don’t know anything about this guy, but I’m almost tempted to hear an album that gets sucha bad review. I guess I’m proof that no press is bad press?

“Rascalian”!

Obviously, I disagree with this assessment, but respect that different opinions spin the world ’round. I’ve been a fan of Cory’s for over 10 years, and took this record for what it was…a fun reckoning for an artist re-discovering his passion.

My review’s on our homepage (galleywinter.com) right now. I think you may have misinterpreted some of the tracks. For example, “All Said and Done” is a tongue in cheek rendering chastising those unimaginative souls in Texas Music and beyond who cover the same tunes over and over in concert, or who have copied things/trends that Morrow began with Pat Green out in Lubbock some 15 yrs ago. It is not merely a celebration of knowing the titles to the songs.

“My Baby and Me” is admittedly trite…but, “I Can Wait” is a rather clever love song along the lines of the Hag’s “Let’s Chase Each Other Round…”.

“He Carries Me” is one of the more powerful songs I’ve heard in years. The overriding message of leaning on Jesus in your hardest of times comes from Morrow’s own troubled past with drugs and alcohol. It didn’t derive from a a thirty minute meeting with an AR guy or a cubicle session in Nashvegas. Real life. The stuff country music used to focus on, that some of us still miss. It holds the type of authenticity that so many cuts out of Nashville strive for and don’t quite reach.

Cory’s live shows used to be the thing to see in Texas circa 99-2002 along with Jack Ingram. And up until a few months ago, he had gotten in a rut where all the sets were the same and his passion was missing. However, I’ve seen him 3 times in the last 3 months and each time he’s been as good as he was 8 years ago…or better.

So, my advice is if this record doesn’t do anything for you…check out his back catalog. Especially the “Man That I’ve Been” album…and the Double Exposure live album. Or…go see a show or two.

Sidenote:

-1-star ratings should be reserved for things like Cowboy Troy.

I don’t doubt the sincerity of “He Carries Me,” but like the rest of the album it is a song that is just poorly executed. An album does not deserve to be called good because it has good intentions or because it tries really hard to be good.

I fail to see what is powerful about using as a hook a line (”He carries me”) that could have been pulled from an e-Mail forward, and then surrounding that line with a bunch of stale lyrical phrases. Maybe leaning on Jesus in your time of need is something worth talking about, but Morrow talks about doing so in the most trite and most predictable of terms.

Yes, yes, we should all be lucky for the air we breathe. Does he really think no one has ever written that before? It’s neither fresh nor insightful nor clever.

“…sometimes I forget to forgive even me…sometimes I stumble, and that’s when He carries me.”

We’ll have to agree to disagree about the “stale” and “predictable” nature of this tune and others. If someone like Paisley puts this song out, he’d win CMA’s and be lauded for months. But, that’s a dilemma I’ve been vexed with for years about why certain songs and artists hit and others don’t. Once you’ve made it to the top, the establishment settles for mediocrity or less from you…and rewards you.

Again…I’m not saying this album has reinvented the wheel or that it is even in the top 10 best things to have come out this year so far…but, I thought the review was harsher than what was warranted; that was all I was trying to say.

I haven’t listened to the album yet, so I don’t have any developed thoughts on it, but come on Rick. You have the right to criticize whatever you want, but I’m going have to disagree with your reasoning here.

Just because you’ve never heard of Cory Morrow doesn’t mean no one has. He’s been around making music since near the beginning of the Texas movement. Futhermore, what makes a group like Jypsi–who haven’t even put out a physical product–worth reviewing over someone like Morrow who has a few albums to his name? Are they more relevant because they’re on a big label?

As for Aaron Watson, there was a lot of press around his album release, but I don’t think we lavished praise on his new album. I heartily recommended people download the free songs because I thought what he was doing was great (both music and the promotion). If you’ll look at the single review again, it isn’t overly praising, either. I think his new album is solid and do enjoy it, but I don’t know that we heaped praise on it anywhere.

First off, Adriana, why are you leaving a comment when you have not even heard the record? Makes no sense.

Being from Texas and a college student I have come to love the artists that have come out of the state of Texas. My older brother turned me on to Cory, Pat Green, Jack Ingram, and others at an early age and I have been a fan for a long time.

I hated Cory’s last record, but this one lets us know he is back. It is the fun and full of life Cory that made him popular back in the day. There are a couple songs I do not care for, but overall it is great.

Everyone is allowed their own opinion and I respect that, but this was the harshest review I have ever read and is uncalled for. Cory is an icon in Texas and does sell out venues that others don’t. Cory still sells more tickets in this state than does Jack Ingram (ACM New Male Artist) and Jack is from here. Without Cory and Pat Green we do not have Randy Rogers Band and The Eli Young Band, two bands making waves the past couple of years.

The only thing I ask is that everyone give the record a chance and not listen dismiss it because of bad review on an internet website. Everyone is a reviewer, but some just get published.

The other funny thing is that this new Cory Morrow record is getting great reviews on iTunes and Lonestarmusic.com….. It was also in the top 10 on iTunes Country Album Sales Chart almost all week and is currently #12 on there.

I’ve been a Cory Morrow fan for quite a while. First of all let me say that I haven’t seen him live in almost four years. The last time I did see him, he put on a great show and was making great music.

Recently with the past three albums, including this one, Cory has just gotten worse. I loaded the new album onto my Zune MP3 player (yes I pay 14.99/month for the songs) and it was just plain bad. I’m sure Cory had good intentions, but the album just came across as bland over produced music.

Cory’s music prior to Nothing Left to Hide was great stuff. Strong, solid songwriting. I think he has lost focus in my opinion, but I don’t know him personally so I could be wrong.

Just because an artist hails from Texas, and helped launch a scene doesn’t mean that their greatness can go on forever. There are many artists out there that are WAY better. In my opinion the best true country artists coming out of Texas are Dale Watson, Eleven Hundred Springs, and Wayne Hancock. Another is Hayes Carll. This guy could write circles around Cory Morrow. These guys are the ones carrying the torch for true honest country music. It’s a shame that they don’t get the exposure on Texas music websites that they deserve.

Charlie, I generally am with you, especially on the bands from our home state. But I dont agree that Morrow has reached a point artistically to where he can put “any kind of record out he wants”. He really isnt doing anything that different than what he has done in the past, and I kind of feel like its same old-same old. Bleu came out with something different and still remained himself even with a different sound. Reckless Kelly is doing the same with their new cd (its awesome), as they showcase the more rock side of their skills. Morrow has continued to put out cd’s that seem to only appeal to the hard-core Morrow fans, while other acts are gaining new fans and building larger audiences with their fresh, new material (including 1100, as I am sure you’ve noticed). I give him credit for helping build an audience that has turned into a “Scene”, but he has seemed to idle artistically where others have really put the hammer down and stepped it up.

I think brad from Galleywinter needs to remember that just because something isn’t “from a a thirty minute meeting with an AR guy or a cubicle session in Nashvegas” doesn’t mean its good. I wrote in Ben Cisneros’ Red Dirt article about most Texas music needing to have a filter besides Texas/Not Texas, and this is a good example.

This record sounds like Cory Morrow trying to be Bob Schneider and Tony Robbins/Joel Osteen at the same time.

Hey Jim Malec, I’m just assuming that you are not from Texas and don’t know know the difference between good music and the shit you see on CMT. I live in Lubbock and he fills the hall everytime he comes through. Vagrants and Kings is in now way a one star record and you would probably get your ass kicked in most of the bars where Morrow plays with the attitude you have towards Texas Country.

We all know how much I love Carrie’s music.

“SO JIM YOUR REVIEW SUCKS I THINK CORY WOULD HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB.”

So, Jason, you think Cory would have done a better job of doing what? Writing a review for his own album? I don’t know if the review would be better written, but you’re probably right that his review of his own album would be…more positive.:)

Commas and periods are your friends, I promise.

Not for him to burn, just figuratively that he should feel burned by your comments. I’m not that mean. Now, if I only had a picture to burn…

first off there is no way this c.d only gets one star, i will always give cory and the rest of the texas/red dirt props for putting out how the feel and being themselves!! Nashville music and guys like the editor here will never get it they only spin the music there bosses tell them too just like the douche bag artist up there can only sing the songs that some big wig who doesn’t know wat real music is tells them. The editor that wrote this probably helps kenny chesney do his make-up!!! Nashville sucks for a reason!!!