We Rise. Morrissey & Marshall

Although We Rise is out for several months, the album did not reach me until recently. The exuberant way We Rise opens with 'Cold November Sunrise' was so directly in my face that I gave the whole album a very good listen. No, it doesn't get that good or perhaps better phrased, not as surprising, after that brilliant opening song. Well deserving of attentive listening and a review the album remained.

What happens in 'Cold November Sunrise'? Something near beyond description as the song races from influence to influence and becoming ever louder, wider and wilder. It all starts with a song that seems directly influenced by the loudest kind of song Crowded House could come up with. Sung like the Finn brothers seemed to have a patent on. The patent expired it seems as this Irish duo has given itself quite some helping of the 'Chocolate Cake'. From that soul influenced song it goes straight into a Britrock chorus including a wallop of soul singing by a lady who reaches to 'The Great Gig In The Sky' heights. The horns give the song that extra 'The Reflex' exuberance. At the same time it is all funky as ****, let me avoid a four letter word here just like Morrissey & Marshall do in this song. Around 1990 this could have made a giant hit. Alas it is 2017. See if I mind.

Darren Morrissey and Greg Marshall come from Dublin, but left it behind to make it in London. We Rise is the duos second album, one with all the production they could afford. And that seemed a lot hearing how the album opens.

In fact in the second song the mood is taken down. In 'Loved & Be Loved' the acoustic guitars they left Dublin with come out of their cases. A band, strings and that lady singer are added, creating a ballad with a lot of potency. The sound is strong and full of confidence. "You're not alone" Morrissey and Marshall sing and that may not just be a sentence in a song, but a prediction.

As 'Play On' starts the Madchester sound and rhythms come out and by then it's clear that this duo doesn't want to be stuck in one hole. A whole parade of influences come by, where again the way of singing of Morrissey and Marshall reminds me of Tim and Neil Finn on 'Woodface'. In other words forceful and certainly not subtle.

In the bio the influences mentioned are all from the 60s: The Kinks, The Beatles and The Byrds. From what I hear those influences all seems much more indirect. Let's say The Beatles by way of Crowded House and The Byrds through Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. 'She's Got Love' is more Tom Petty than The Byrds e.g. At the same time the song does have beatlesesque elements, without coming close to a The Beatles song.

With 'I Need You' the album holds one real ballad. Not my favourite song of We Rise, but then I usually am not one for ballads.

We Rise is an album for people who love permanent harmony singing set in different settings, but predominantly in the form of a mild, but firm rocksong. Songs like 'Beautiful World' is a beautiful ad for Morrissey & Marshall. A song that is upbeat and meant to make people feel better. So if you're in for an autumn boost in the days to come, you know where to find it on a 'Cold November Sunrise'.

Wo.

You can listen to 'Cold November Sunrise' here:

https://nortonsafe.search.ask.com/search?q=We+Rise.+Morrissey+%26+Marshall&chn=1000&doi=2017-10-09&geo=NL&guid=345DB05A-6E56-11E5-9474-D027881769F3&locale=nl_NL&o=APN11918&p2=%5EET%5Efd20nl%5E&prt=NSBU&ver=22.10.1.10&ctype=videos&tpr=2&tpr=3

and buy We Rise here:

http://www.massmarketrecordings.com/?product=morrissey-marshall-we-rise-album