Lorrie Morgan - A Moment In Time
by Cheryl Harvey Hill, Sr. Editor
Lorrie Morgan’s new album arrived in my mailbox just as I was leaving the house so I quickly opened the envelope as I fastened my seat belt, pulled out the CD, and put it in the player. After just the first few seconds of hearing Morgan’s rendition of “Cry,” I thought of the wonderful singer Johnny Ray who had a number one hit with that song back in the 50’s. My mom used to play his record over and over and over when I was a teenager. As I listened to Morgan’s version I remember thinking that Mr. Ray would have been impressed. After that thought, I began singing along and I continued to sing along on “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” “After the Fire is Gone,” “If You’ve Got Leavin’ On Your Mind,” and “Borrowed Angel.” It wasn’t until I was half way through my duet with Ms. Morgan on “Break It To Me Gently” that I realized why I was loving this album so much.
It wasn’t only her magnificent voice, or her incredible rendition of “Cry,” that had immediately made me think of Johnny Ray, it was the way she sang it, and the way she was singing all the other songs. To see if I was correct, as soon as I got off the freeway, I reached for the information sheet that came with the album and there it was, in Morgan’s own words, the reason this album was so easy to sing along with, and gave me such a “blast from the past,” was right there in black and white; Morgan “agreed to do an album of old standards only if the producer agreed to do it the old fashioned way.”
And what exactly is the “old fashioned way,” you ask. As the daughter of Country Music Hall of Fame member George Morgan, she attended many recording sessions with her father when she was a child. Back then, no one had ever heard of an “overdub,” you simply put together the best musicians you could find and recorded. Doing an album like that today is just, um, suffice it to say, it’s just not done like that anymore. The end result is that there are a few singers who would sound quite differently if you heard them sing live, and a few others who wouldn’t even be able to sing live. Will anyone ever forget what happened to Ashlee Simpson on Saturday Night Live? Need I say more? I don’t think so.
The purity and clarity that comes from doing an album this way is, well, if you don’t know what I’m talking about, you simply need to pick up a copy of this album. It won’t take you long to understand how I knew, after hearing only the first few bars of the first song, that this wonderful album of fourteen standards had been recorded “the old fashioned way.” Kudos to Morgan for having the courage to follow her convictions.
Morgan is quite proud of the fact that there were no overdubs at all on the album; not on vocals or music. In fact, she says that on one song she actually sings one of the words wrong. I haven’t found the error yet simply because when the music is this good you tend to get lost in it.
Choosing one favorite cut from the album wasn't possible but a few of my all-time favorite songs are included on the album; “If You’ve Got Leavin’ On Your Mind,” “Till I Get it Right,” and “Misty Blue.” Morgan also has some impressive duet partners when Tracy Lawrence joins her on “After The Fire Is Gone” and Raul Malo is the perfect partner for her on “Easy Loving.”
I hope you will pick up a copy and let me know what you think. Oh yes, and if you find that elusive error I mentioned, I hope you will let me know what it is because finding any fault with this album proved impossible for me.
www.lorriemorgan.com
Lorrie Morgan’s new album arrived in my mailbox just as I was leaving the house so I quickly opened the envelope as I fastened my seat belt, pulled out the CD, and put it in the player. After just the first few seconds of hearing Morgan’s rendition of “Cry,” I thought of the wonderful singer Johnny Ray who had a number one hit with that song back in the 50’s. My mom used to play his record over and over and over when I was a teenager. As I listened to Morgan’s version I remember thinking that Mr. Ray would have been impressed. After that thought, I began singing along and I continued to sing along on “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” “After the Fire is Gone,” “If You’ve Got Leavin’ On Your Mind,” and “Borrowed Angel.” It wasn’t until I was half way through my duet with Ms. Morgan on “Break It To Me Gently” that I realized why I was loving this album so much.
It wasn’t only her magnificent voice, or her incredible rendition of “Cry,” that had immediately made me think of Johnny Ray, it was the way she sang it, and the way she was singing all the other songs. To see if I was correct, as soon as I got off the freeway, I reached for the information sheet that came with the album and there it was, in Morgan’s own words, the reason this album was so easy to sing along with, and gave me such a “blast from the past,” was right there in black and white; Morgan “agreed to do an album of old standards only if the producer agreed to do it the old fashioned way.”
And what exactly is the “old fashioned way,” you ask. As the daughter of Country Music Hall of Fame member George Morgan, she attended many recording sessions with her father when she was a child. Back then, no one had ever heard of an “overdub,” you simply put together the best musicians you could find and recorded. Doing an album like that today is just, um, suffice it to say, it’s just not done like that anymore. The end result is that there are a few singers who would sound quite differently if you heard them sing live, and a few others who wouldn’t even be able to sing live. Will anyone ever forget what happened to Ashlee Simpson on Saturday Night Live? Need I say more? I don’t think so.
The purity and clarity that comes from doing an album this way is, well, if you don’t know what I’m talking about, you simply need to pick up a copy of this album. It won’t take you long to understand how I knew, after hearing only the first few bars of the first song, that this wonderful album of fourteen standards had been recorded “the old fashioned way.” Kudos to Morgan for having the courage to follow her convictions.
Morgan is quite proud of the fact that there were no overdubs at all on the album; not on vocals or music. In fact, she says that on one song she actually sings one of the words wrong. I haven’t found the error yet simply because when the music is this good you tend to get lost in it.
Choosing one favorite cut from the album wasn't possible but a few of my all-time favorite songs are included on the album; “If You’ve Got Leavin’ On Your Mind,” “Till I Get it Right,” and “Misty Blue.” Morgan also has some impressive duet partners when Tracy Lawrence joins her on “After The Fire Is Gone” and Raul Malo is the perfect partner for her on “Easy Loving.”
I hope you will pick up a copy and let me know what you think. Oh yes, and if you find that elusive error I mentioned, I hope you will let me know what it is because finding any fault with this album proved impossible for me.
www.lorriemorgan.com