Tom Moriarty’s second album has been delayed by a potentially career-threatening injury. Since Fire In The Doll’s House he has released an EP and a taster single, ‘Me And The Sun’ which is included here in a tweaked and slightly enriched version – at least to my untrained ear.
The album is built around Tom’s acoustic guitar with drums, bass, atmospheric keyboards and violin – you get the feeling that he could play it live and solo without missing too much. It opens with the title track, a country-edged plea for help suffused with a sense of independence that sets the scene for a sometimes gentle but always thoughtful album. ‘They Sing For You’ is the song on which Tom lets the band cut loose with Rich Milner’s Rhodes laying the foundation and Georgina Leach’s violin multi-tracked to almost orchestral proportions. It’s followed by ‘Wake Me Up’, a pure protest song with another big arrangement and the closing track, ‘Rise Again’ takes a similar defiant and independent line.
With ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ I realised that I was getting a lot of Michael Chapman – the gruff vocals, the guitar-playing that is skilful without being flashy. Chapman could be flashy but he usually kept it for instrumentals and that isn’t really Tom’s thing. The Road is often understated and I admire it for that as much as anything. Good one, Tom.
Dai Jeffries
Artist’s website: www.tommoriarty.co.uk
‘Chasing Angels’ live at Battfest:
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