James Morrison – Fight Another Day (Cooking Vinyl)
After a 6-year hiatus, James Morrison has returned with his sixth studio album, Fight Another Day. His smoky, gravelly voice resounds with raw power, even more refined than his debut album almost two decades ago in 2006.
His heroic voice guides listeners through a vast emotional landscape, as Morrison explores themes of identity, strength and vulnerability.
The first track on the album, also the first single released, is Fight Another Day. Listeners meet a more mature, emotionally resilient, and courageous Morrison:
“You can’t run from hurricanes no matter how hard you try.” The song offers a glimpse into Morrison’s emotional world, his relationship with compassion, and what survival looks like in the face of suffering.
Multiple tracks on the album feature only acoustic piano and Morrison’s soulful vocals. The piano is simple but resonant, elegantly supporting Morrison’s complex and varied vocal abilities. In Save a Place For Me, the piano is understated, allowing Morrison’s rich voice to take center stage. As the song builds, angelic harmonies echo traces of hope. The harmonies provide a deeply satisfying contrast to Morrison’s distinctively textured voice.
In The Man Who Can’t Be Loved, Morrison searches for his identity. Not unlike the tormented Jean Valjean from Les Misérables, he sings: “Who am I? If I can’t love you forever, who am I? If I can’t keep it together. Who am I?” His voice is saturated with painful doubt and insecurity. Emotionally raw, it reads like a devastating and frantic diary entry from the early hours of a stormy night. “Am I just hiding from the pain, and vain I felt before? Am I just running from mistakes, have I closed every door?” The minimal piano and supporting vocals enhance the naked emotional exposure, giving the song a chilling relatability. A harrowing falsetto stings with palpable fear as the circling torment concludes: “Who am I? I’m the man that can’t be loved.”
In the next track, Cry Your Tears On Me, Morrison shifts to a tone of hope, strength, and optimism. “We’re both sitting here broken thinking ‘bout how we’ll carry on, oh but together in this loneliness we’re twice as strong.” The effect is almost therapeutic following the previous track. The upbeat rhythm, use of percussion, and long-held notes convey undertones of spring and lighter times ahead. Enduring notes, mimic the strength and perseverance Morrison has faced as he sings, “cry your tears on me.” It feels like being wrapped in a warm blanket as his smoky voice repeats, “You are never on your own, you know where I’ll be.”
Little Wings, the second single released from the album, delivers a spectacular harmonica solo by Pat Levett. A funky and energetic bass will enthuse prospective jazz and blues musicians. It’s warm, softly stylish, and oozing with rich melody. The choir in the bridge is triumphant, and the combination of rhythmic percussion adds to the pleasure.
Morrison opens his arms and whispers intimately into our ear in Closest Thing to Love. The song contains profound yearning that resonates with heroic strength and determined resilience. “This is the closest that I’ve been to love, so I’m holding on to you so tight.” As the chorus begins, it hits like a breath you didn’t know you’d been holding. The lyrics are playfully rhymed and carefully constructed as Morrison reassures himself amidst doubt: “It might not be love but that’s alright.” A track that reflects his growth in facing difficult times with acceptance and serenity.
The most experimental track on the album, Made of Man, deepens Morrison’s search for identity from a masculine lens. A powerfully hypnotic bassline contrasts with a ghostly refrain: “I’m only made of man. Tryna’ do the best I can.” In the second verse, Morrison almost raps over an R&B foundation: “Gotta get my hands in the hurt, in the dirt, gotta lift myself, gotta prove my worth.” The repetitive piano and bass melody reflect a rebellious and defiant spirit, as Morrison strives to accept his limitations.
Overall, the album traverses difficult terrains. Delving into raw emotions, facing fear and struggling with identity, Morrison delivers an album that captures the complexity of human experience. Without wallowing in sorrow, we dive down into the ocean with him, to be rewarded with stunning glimpses of sunlight every few breaths. The arrangements have been carefully composed to leave space for Morrison’s powerful voice. Beautifully indulgent, deeply satisfying, and softly heartbreaking, an album that provides camaraderie, understanding, and intimacy in dark times.
Lexi Tuenter
Fight Another Day is out now on Cooking Vinyl Records
