James Vincent McMorrow - James Vincent McMorrow EP Review

A brief collection of gentle and deep-thinking, wistful folk ballads, Dublin singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow's self-titled EP showcases a sensitive musical style in the vein of the likes of Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver.

'If I Had A Boat' opens with an unaccompanied chorused vocal introduction of McMorrow's self-provided vocal harmonies, before country-folk electric guitar twinges, gentle piano chords and a sensitive bass drum and tambourine beat kick in. It's a slow moving and beautiful track, gentle and moving, which builds and builds throughout with McMorrow's high pitched vocals also sounding comparison with Anthony Hegarty of Anthony and The Johnsons alongside the clear influence of Jeff Buckley and Ray Lamontagne as evidenced in 'This Old Dark Machine'.

Eight track demos of two gently lilting folk ballads, 'From The Woods' and 'Like The River' bring the EP to a close, both showcasing beautiful high-pitched vocals hauntingly whispering over gentle picked guitar. As heard in 'From The Woods', sometimes the lyrics are lost in McMorrow's whispering vocal, but the beautiful melody suggested through his singing beautifully compensates, sounding this self-titled EP as a promising start to James Vincent McMorrow's career.

Hannah Spencer