Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Everything in its place and delivered with such raw spirit, Thom Morecroft is an undeniable barometer of good music and introspective lyrics that highlight both his musical taste and the way he knits together certain textures and meanings together to bring a down to earth response and open mind view to any situation he wishes to cover in his songs, even the ones that are the most personal, the most delicate which shows the wounds he carries with honour.
In The Feng Shui and the Sushi, Thom Morecroft once more seizes the opportunity to lay his heart out for inspection, and secure in the knowledge that what the listener finds will be treated gently, songs such as the opener You Can Lay, the phenomenal The Least That You Can Do, The French Girl, Now I’ve Opened The Door and perhaps one of the most private songs of Thom’s to see the full exposure of light, Wrote My Dad A Song, all combine to make an album that dedicates itself to being the epitome of perfect alinement and energy.
It is always with the greatest of pleasure that Thom fills the album with the voice and passion of others, a true sign of greatness comes with the ability to share in the moment of delivery and the dramatic, beautiful aftermath that is sure to follow.
Aside from the sublime band, Danny Bradley on guitar and backing vocals, Max O’Hara on Piano and keys, James Thorne on bass and Gareth Dawson on drums, Thom Morecroft adeptly weaves the subtly of various guests into the musical dynamic, namely the sensational Jenny Coyle and Calum Gilligan of Limerance, Elle Schillereff on several songs as guest vocalist, Nick Branton, Simon Brady and Buster; it is in this offering of the various but carefully cultivated musicianship that Thom Morecroft’s chiseled vision takes shape.
Like a sculptor feeling their way round a large piece of marble, looking for the definition of shape and memory in which to carve the answer to a question they cannot yet see, Thom Morecroft’s design is one to admire, even when it is taking shape.
A crucial piece of music, an album that rides high in Thom Morecroft’s prolific output.
Thom Morecroft releases The Feng Shui and the Sushi on Nine x Nine Records on December 6th. Thom Morecroft will be performing at Studio 2, Liverpool on December 5th.
Ian D. Hall