James V McMorrow, my how you've changed!

NEW IRISH MUSIC: Cavalier
James Vincent McMorrow

I got a little package this morning in the shape of James Vincent McMorrow's...(that's your mind not mine) debut single from his forthcoming album, Post Tropical.

The track is called Cavalier. As I pressed play, my eyebrows raised involuntarily and I digested the realisation that McMorrow, with this track anyway, has shifted from the folk thread that neatly sewed up his debut Early in the Morning. Presuming this is a general sound shift, (and one would presume a debut track release from a new album would set the scene for the rest of the songs within) it's a brave move from the Irish native who enjoyed phenomenal success with his debut folk style album, complete with world tours and international acclaim. McMorrow has previously been open about the fact that he is a fan of hip hop fan and we laughed when he joked that that he would like to work with T-Pain. At the time that seemed an unlikely collaboration, but perhaps not so anymore.

The first thought I had upon hearing Cavalier was of Frank Ocean and his track Pyramids as there is a distinct floaty hip hop feel, particularly when McMorrow lets loose with his signature falsetto about 2 minutes in.
My ears locked onto James with his early track If I had a Boat where the middle 8 brought me out in a rash of goosebumps (a good thing for those confused), and he's done it again with that haunting voice in Cavalier as he chants how he remembers his first love.

This marks a departure for McMorrow, but despite how difficult it can be to switch genres in this game, this particular shift is likely to be a success. That voice can permeate any genre and still retain his musical fingerprint.

Post Tropical is released January 13, 2014 and you can hear it on 'You Need To Hear This' here: http://noisey.vice.com/en_uk/read/youneedtohearthis-james-vincent-mcmorrow-cavalier


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