Album Name: Where it Hurts
Artist: Sarah Jane Morris
Year/Label: 2009 / Fallen Angel
[Buy at Amazon UK]
Review by Anna Maria Stjärnell
Sarah Jane Morris illustrious career stared with her singing a duet with Jimmy Somerville on the Communards Don’t Leave Me This Way. Since then she’s made some stellar records of her own. I had the pleasure of seeing her live once and it was an unforgettable experience. After a recent cover album Morris is now back to writing her own songs.
You Know Her sees the dynamic singer holding back a little and creating empathy for her subject. The tune is warm and welcoming.
You’re Really Nowhere at All intones,
“You’re the beach without the summer/You’re the Clash without Joe Strummer”
showing the singer’s sly sense of humor. The lightly played tune has a nice mood, and the vocal is as ever peerless.
Promised Land looks fearlessly at injustice and succeeds in being moving. Morris holds back a little here too, and it suits the song. The jazzy backing serves her story well and is well done.
Canadian pop maverick Hawksley Workman wrote the song It’s a Shame as a A Song for Sarah Jane and she more than does it justice. The tune is effortlessly melodic and lets the voice shine.
Morris has still got it after all this time, and she’s a treasure.
Track Listing
1. A World To Win
2. You Know Her
3. Never Forget How To Dance
4. You’re Really Nowhere At All
5. Warm Welcomes Cold Goodbyes
6. Promised Land
7. It’s A Shame
8. Under The Stars
9. Illumination
10. Sunset
11. Betrayal
12. Good Night God Bless
13. I Learned To Love You
[Sarah Jane Morris Official Site]
