Cary Morin
Cradle To The Grave
Reviewed by: Lauren Rosier
The talent of roots-based singer/fingerstyle guitarist, Cary Morin, is evident on his latest record, Cradle To The Grave. This record completes his three-album acoustic project and brings together some the greatest music of America.
The record opens with the title track, a very telling song about after all his travels, experiences, and circumstances, life moves very quickly. It opens with some great acoustic blues finger-style guitar work and he shows that he can easily compose lyrics and arrange music to fit the theme of the song.
Morin pays respect to his heritage on the track, “Dawn’s Early Light.” As a Crow Tribal member, the Standing Rock pipeline protests were very relatable to him. It’s about his memories growing up near the Missouri River and around his Native American people in Montana.
He illustrates the situation behind the protests of the pipelines, singing “let there be no question/who’s wrong/and who’s right/there should be no compromise/we’ll all stand up and fight/until the dawn’s early light.” It’s truly a beautiful song that illustrates Morin’s perspective of the issue and his passion and respect for his Native American heritage.
On Cradle To The Grave, the record consist of 11 tracks, with eight being originals. The other three “Mississippi Blues” (Willie Brown), “Back On The Train” (Phish), and “Nothing Compares 2 U” (Prince) are quite spectacular covers of songs from some notable artists.
One of the originals, “Mishawaka,” is a beautiful folk song that features Morin’s flawless finger-style guitar work. He wrote a vivid story about being near the river with his boy with the river’s level pretty high. He was determined to “try to cross for the very last time that day.” As you listen to the song, you can just imagine the scene he paints with the lyrics, and that’s a sign of a truly gifted songwriter.
One of my favorite tracks on the record, “Trust”, is another fantastic example of Morin’s exquisite storytelling and songwriting. Morin introduces the listener to the changing hues of the sunset as he sings “sun goes down/beyond my view/down behind the mountains/and I observe/changing hues/of the foothills.” His lyrics in this song are honest, incredibly descriptive and illustrative, and the entire package of the song was one that really stuck with me after listening.
I’ve been a music fan for as long as I can remember and I don’t think I’ve heard songs written as beautifully as some showcased on Morin’s Cradle To The Grave. From roots and folk to blues and jazz, Morin combines some of the greatest genres to create a record that illustrates and paints a picture of a situation or event; the listener feels like they’re actually experiencing it along with him. On Cradle To The Grave, Morin knocks it out of the park, and is definitely going to be one of my favorite albums of the year.
Rating: Iconic
