Title - 'Harvest The Wind'
Artist - Finlay Morton
As a Scottish-born, London-based musician, Finlay Morton once had a very fascinating day job - as sound engineer for 10 Downing Street - but it was a chance meeting with producer Pip Williams (Moody Blues) which resulted in his first self-penned album 'Interpret This' (2006).
In 2008, Finlay began working on his second album 'Back to Basics' at Wendyhouse Studios in West London, where in the midst of the mixing, Finlay suffered a heart attack.
With comparisons to JJ Cale, early Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan and Chris Rea, Finlay combines folk, rock, and blues with a mesmerizing helping of gospel, some country grandeur, and raw energy.
And so it's no shock that Finlay continues his musical journey with the March release of 'Harvest The Wind.' Impressed by the power of solar energy, he incorporates his love into the lyrics of the opening song, the plea-felt 'Harvest The Wind.' Giving us Finlay's inner thoughts, his hopes and wishes, he talks about us being the ones, here and now to save the planet for future generations. It's a nice song, but a theme sung many times before. Next is 'Chasing the American Dream,' where Morton drives the funky song along, his arm sunning, out the window catching the 55mph breeze.
The catchy 'Do You Believe In Ghosts' is a real throwback tune, one that allows a young (coherent) Dylanesque poet to express his thoughts on the supernatural and/or tricks of the light! 'In At The Deep End' is a nice guitar-fused rock track about a relationship, before album fillers 'I'd Rather Be' and 'Nobody Knows.'
The ballads 'Working On It' and 'Summer Rain' may well mirror each other context wise, but their individual ebb and flow is beautiful to behold. It provides a nice inner section to this predominantly upbeat album.
'True Love' is another great song that trips along perfectly, before the highly somber, and yet highly enjoyable 'Babe, You Can't Have My Guitar' is brought forth as the album ender ... if it wasn't for the bonus track, the lyrically-obvious, and smokingly-guitar stoked, 'Don't Cry For Corporate America.'
www.finlaymorton.com