Mo McMorrow
Mo McMorrow is a well-traveled whirlwind of creative energy.
In song this energy translates to a nuanced brand of Irish-Americana
led by a voice of honey and steel, braced by confident
and surprising percussion and steeped in transatlantic
themes of place and ancestry. Mo McMorrow’s new album
Mona Lisas Don’t Cry draws from her connection to
and her love for many places, and the good-byes that leaving
brings. The result is a freshly sincere collection of
songs whose lyrics embrace the sorrows of moving on.
Mo grew up in Toronto but moved to Australia to study
painting where she received her Masters degree. In 1996
she put down her paint brush and took a trip around
the world. Her first stop was to be a week in Ireland,
but she stayed… for 11 years! “If you’ve
got a song in you, the Irish will get it out of you!”
she says and in the quiet of a cottage in Kinvara she
started writing songs. (One of her songs “Dancing
on the Freeway” is included on the compilation
CD Out of the West which includes John Prine, Sharon
Shannon, Delores Keane, and The Saw Doctors to name
a few). For years she sang in pubs and clubs up and
down the west coast becoming a consummate performer.
She joined forces with Mary Shannon, and together they
created an eclectic and original mix of Americana and
traditional tunes and songs that made people smile.
Then, in 2007 she tore herself away from Ireland and
headed for the Mecca for singer/songwriters, Austin
Texas. Inspired by such a talent soaked environment
McMorrow wrote new songs and disappeared into the darkness
of Shine Studios. She has now emerged with her first
offering.
McMorrow’s range as a visual and performing artist
lends a remarkable depth to Mona Lisas Don’t Cry.
Musically the cadences of Austin and Ireland are evident:
banjo, harmonica, acoustic guitars and dobro lay a folk
foundation that could just as easily be coming from
a smoky south Austin club as spilling from a old Irish
pub (“Rain Clouds”). A reverence for land
and family (“This Field of Mine”) is perhaps
a plank in the bridge between Ireland and Texas and
a key element to McMorrow’s universe. And though
a continuing theme in these songs is leaving places
and people, the album’s title track responds with
life-affirming understanding that all emotions, even
sadness, enrich the human condition. McMorrow’s
vocals conjure the music legends and newcomers alike.
There’s the playfulness of Dolly and the quirk
and intimacy of Nancy Griffith, the melodramatic, stylish
nod to Roy Orbison and vintage crooners as well as a
vulnerability akin to more recent artists like Joanna
Newsom or Zooey Deschanel.
Mo McMorrow has created a masterful, cohesive album
by teaming up with Justin Douglas of Shine Studios to
co-produce and engineer Mona Lisas Don’t Cry. She
banded together a backing group of Austin’s heavy
hitters: Eliza Gilkyson, Gurf Morlix, Ray Bonneville,
Cindy Cashdollar and Betty Soo! A little surprise for
all you Irish music lovers is the inclusion of Ireland’s
one and only Sharon Shannon who adds a Celtic/Cajun
feel to “The Wolf is Gone”! Magic!
Contact info momcmorrow1@yahoo.com www.myspace.com/momcmorrow
www.momcmorrow.com
|
