Album Review – William Michael Morgan EP
If traditional-sounding country is ever going to return to the mainstream, it’s going to take young artists signed to major labels with the courage to adhere to their values and not compromise their sound in the face of the pressures and obligations that mainstream outlets put on them. Others may open the doors, but it will be up to artists like William Michael Morgan to step through. It will take a little pragmatism, and a lot of perseverance to make it happen, but for the first time in a while, there are artists poised on major label rosters to make an impact. Most all of the artist who show up to Nashville come with a purpose and a strong set of principles. It’s holding on to them that’s the trick.
Along with Mo Pitney, William Michel Morgan is one of the best hopes for a young traditionalist that could have an impact on the mainstream side. He’s got the voice, the style, and the temperament. Don’t think of Marty Stuart or Willie Nelson when the word “traditionalist” is used in reference to the Mississippi native. Think more of George Strait or Alan Jackson—straight laced with a clean Stetson and a starched shirt, and songs that are straightforward, simple, and honest. This debut 6-song EP is traditional country in style and sound cover to cover, and Morgan has that smooth voice and perfect control that’s ideal for country music, which is refreshing to hear coming from a 22-year-old.
Morgan surprised everyone by releasing a song partially penned by Sam Hunt as his first single that sounded like it was straight out of the mid 80’s traditional country resurgence. “I Met A Girl” was no Mona Lisa, but it showed a lot of promise from the young singer. If Morgan could take a Sam Hunt song and make it sound that good, what else could he do? Unfortunately the first song on this EP, “Vinyl,” sounds like it could be a dance club single converted to country. The term “vinyl” can have vintage connotations, as do some of the lyrics of the song, but saying “girl” in the lyrics a full ten times is something more akin to Florida Georgia Line than a full blown traditional country artist.
The second song on the EP “Beer Drinker” is not as bad as the title may make it seem, but just like saying “girl” at the end of every phrase, leaning on the term “beer” as a crutch is something we expect more from washed up Bro-Country acts. The song’s not bad when you think about it like a song George Strait would select as an album cut, but the premise that only beer drinkers are the ones that get things done is a little flimsy. It feels more like demographics pandering and trying to get blue collars pumping their fists as opposed to a solid, thought-out premise for a song. The lyrics of the first two songs on this EP start off less than ideal, even if the music itself is sweet to the ears.
But the album improves from there, working in much more favorable songwriting material. “Lonesomeville,” which is the only song on the EP Morgan co-wrote, may not be completely original, but falls much more in line with what you’d hope to hear from the young traditional country prospect. “Cheap Cologne” is also more of a mid 80’s smooth country sound and sentiment—a classic cheating song whose message is timeless. The metaphor may have been dragged a little too far with the last song “Back Seat Driver,” but it’s another fine selection from the project.
Debut EP’s are never ideal for attempting to determine completely what the sound and style of an artist will eventually settle in to, and this release is likely the precursor to a full-length LP to be released in the future, so some of our questions may be answered soon. Clearly with the first two songs “Vinyl” and “Beer Drinker,” producers were looking to release traditional-sounding country songs with enough lyrical signifiers to hopefully lure in modern day “country” fans. This might be the type of pragmatism that it takes to move country back in a more authentic direction. But it also may limit the ability for Morgan to resonate deeper among the traditional fans he needs to form his base. Meanwhile other songs on this EP like “Cheap Cologne” are what many fans have been waiting for from a young performer.
The promise of William Michael Morgan remains, and his style is undoubtedly country. But we will have to see how, and what direction the songwriting develops in, and if Morgan will step up to make more songwriting contributions, and see what other type of material is selected to work with his sound before we get the big picture on what William Michael Morgan will be, and what impact he might have on the effort to return some balance to the mainstream country space.
1 1/2 of 2 Guns Up (6.5 of 10)
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Charlie
March 22, 2016 @ 9:20 am
If he’s gonna fill the King George void we’re gonna have to live with a little poppiness. Sounds good and very promising. Hope he resists the dark side.
Andrew
March 22, 2016 @ 12:48 pm
Yeah, that’s why Hank 3, Sturgill, Whitey, and Dale Watson haven’t made it big. They aren’t catchy enough for mainstream radio. I’ve been hoping the turnpike troubadours would break through, since they actually have hooks, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Andrew
March 22, 2016 @ 1:02 pm
Just to be clear, I’m not dissing any of those four guys I mentioned. Just making a point, but I love those guys.
Razor X
March 22, 2016 @ 9:30 am
The first three songs are underwhelming, but things do pick up after that. Even the weaker songs are better than what we can typically expect from Nashville these days. I think this artist has a lot of potential. I hope his label doesn’t jerk him around and refuse to release his albums or try to force him in a pop direction. Don’t want to see him become the next Easton Corbin or Chris Young. With a little stronger material, he could be really great.
R2D2
March 22, 2016 @ 9:50 am
Overall pretty descent EP.. I especially like “Cheap Cologne.”
let us celebrate by the adding of chocolate to milk
March 22, 2016 @ 11:08 am
On the topic of country radio progress, Chris Stapleton’s ‘Nobody To Blame’ is now a top 10 hit on the Billboard country (radio) airplay chart!
Michael
March 22, 2016 @ 11:10 am
I enjoyed this very much. I am now looking forward to his album.
Patti
March 22, 2016 @ 11:19 am
As a personal friend of William Michael Morgan, I can tell you one thing – any question as to whether he can stick to his traditional country style is a resounding, “YES”. That’s all he knows, or all he’s ever known. It’s all he’s ever listened to and all he’s interested in. None of it is contrived or staged. What you see and hear is what you get with him. His voice is as good live as it is on a recording, no autotune required. He is the real deal. Plain and simple.
Tali
March 22, 2016 @ 11:20 am
Wow, definitely a step in the right direction. And to be fair, if we want country to go back to how it should be, we will have to put up with some ‘poppier’ and more ‘danceable’ numbers. Because think about it- artists like WMM will definitely be gateway artists for my generation to get into the more classic stuff. And we need commercial songs to be able to do that. These songs are still great considering.
Looking forward to a full length album!
*also just a note: went to C2C Festival last Friday (11th), Dwight, Ashley and Miranda were incredible, Thomas Rhett, not so much. Being from the UK, country fans are few and far between, so being surrounded by like minded people was a big moment for me*
Patti
March 23, 2016 @ 8:11 am
Tali, are you subscribed to thinkcountry.co.uk? That website has done so much to bring country music to the UK. I know the woman that runs it, and she and her followers are extremely passionate about country music. I highly recommend it. 🙂
Eli
March 22, 2016 @ 11:57 am
I love this! You’ve pointed to a fine young crop of traditionalists to hopefully lead the way. And add Craig Campbell to the list of young artists who have stuck to their traditional guns (even though he’s in his upper 30s). He just released his next single that will be sent to radio next month.
Craig Campbell – “Outskirts of Heaven” https://youtu.be/9u2XzaaMRk8
Nadia Lockheart
March 22, 2016 @ 12:06 pm
I felt much the same way listening to this EP as I have felt about Mo Pitney for the most part: sub-par lyricism but decent production and compelling voices that maintain my interest and faith in their artistic development and overall direction.
They just need help on the songwriting front, or simply need to solicit better songwriters. The last thing we need is another blatant panderer to genre tropes like Justin Moore: who also primarily keeps his instrumentation peppered with country twang but is all hat and no cattle in terms of his image and what he talks about.
Still, this will do for a first impression. It’s important to remember when you’re 22, your general perspective on life is quite likely to deviate considerably from the median country listening demographic: which up until most recently was the early 40s but is probably somewhere in the mid-to-upper 30s now. Thus, we have to be patient as he gathers more experience and insight.
Dana M
March 22, 2016 @ 3:47 pm
Yep, you pretty much summed it up for me.
albert
March 22, 2016 @ 6:18 pm
ditto to the letter nadia …at least as far as this song is concerned.
boring melodically , trite and pointlessly generic lyrically .
way too much good stuff out there to waste any more than one listen on this song .
Ballgame
March 22, 2016 @ 12:57 pm
I thought the EP was fantastic. It’s been on repeat since Friday for me. Of course, I like the modern lyrics with the traditional sound. “I Met a Girl” is probably my least favorite of the six on the EP, and it is fine by me, just heard it a million times. I think WMM is here to stay. I like Mo Pitney as well but WMM’s songs sound a little more radio-friendly to me.
Shastacatfish
March 22, 2016 @ 1:16 pm
He reminds me a lot of Wade Hayes, who I really liked a lot. The Highways & Heartaches album was really good. If country were to turn back in that direction, that would be a good thing.
ElectricOutcast
March 22, 2016 @ 3:13 pm
This is one of those examples of what I said earlier when conversing about Sturgill Simpson. It’s not gonna take one artist or even a group of artists to put this genre back on track, it’s gonna have to be a collective effort from all of us.
In short: Vote with your dollars because money talks.
sweet on stuart
March 22, 2016 @ 3:40 pm
That is such a sweet song. It’s such a shame that there are already artists around who could be doing this kind of country but aren’t. Chris Young did it but somehow was lead astray. Joe Nichols I know would prob kill for it as would Scotty MacGregor.
Listening on youtube…nice
Summer Jam
March 22, 2016 @ 4:31 pm
As a 24 year old that see’s tons of fake country people my age everywhere I go, it is refreshing and comforting to know that young REAL country people like WMM exist out there. All I have to say is that I will be waiting at walmart around midnight on the day his album is to be released.
Donny
March 23, 2016 @ 5:01 am
The steel guitar part in Cheap Cologne is pretty unreal.
HelloWalls
March 23, 2016 @ 11:07 pm
Better than most country on the radio today, but still not really my taste in Country. Has that 90’s vibe to it. Probably why I was never a fan of George Strait.
DLB
March 28, 2016 @ 9:41 am
WMM is THE real deal. I just hope that Warner Nashville doesn’t screw him and delay what he has going for him artistically and professionally. He has already written with a lot of very famous writers, one being Dean Dillon. Go get the ep and support a return to the traditional sound of 80s country.