In what surely seems destined to be a monstrous year for the mighty Morganway, it's a case of revisiting one of their earliest recorded songs to finally nail the definitive version. A long time, near ever present in their live set "Devil's Canyon" is quintessential Morganway, a composite of the talents of each of the members of the band, welded together into one unstoppable force.
From the very start this version takes no prisoners, with what seems like Nicole's violin, electrified and distorted immediately unsettling the listener before Kieran's familiar reassuring guitar intro kicks in. Joined by the thumping backbeat from Ed's drum's, combined with Callum's warm bass sound, it takes up nearly the opening thirty seconds before the entrance of SJ on vocals.
The age old difficulty with Morganway has been to capture the essence of what makes them so special live but in a studio environment - this may just be the closest yet - it all but crackles with electricity and also with a sparkling clarity, SJ's vocals in particular are an expressive delight like nothing we have heard from her before.
"Oh my heart doesn't beat strong - when you're loving kind don't tum me on
You know that you, have a lover tonight, take me where your dreams do wrong"
This single is beautifully balanced, leaving the listener able to pick out what each member is doing, and marvel!. Ed's inventive percussion drives things forward at a furious pace, while Nicole's beguiling violin throughout is hypnotic and Matt's organ sound adds a level of subtle richness to the overall sound that is a joy to find.
This is life affirming stuff - you cannot help but be exhilarated by listening to it - it's a total paradox as Morganway manage to keep the overall sound restrained bringing out the songs melodic elements while retaining the ferocity of their live performance, SJ in particular adopts and indeed revels in a multitude of different delivery styles ranging from sultry to fearsome and touching many bases inbetween.
It whets the appetite for what is to come - Madison Square Gardens is edging ever nearer!!
Devil's Canyon - is released February 16th