There has always been a crossover between rock and country. Even when it’s not intentional, there’s always been a pollination between the two; both are energetic forms of music with lyrics that place great emphasis on storytelling. Perhaps unintentionally, Morgan Wade has produced an album in Obsessed that effortlessly straddles both genres and will attract fans of both styles along with punk rockers, pop fans, and anyone who likes good music.
It takes a certain amount of fortitude to survive being thrust into the public eye. It can be a roller-coaster of a ride that creates a low for every high, a prize for every forfeiture. Morgan Wade’s personal and private lives have thrown up plenty of hurdles and tribulations, but such troubles are often conducive to great art and Morgan has tackled her demons with a pen and paper, the result being a gnarly artist who exorcises demons through songs and that’s where her fourth long player Obsessed steps in. Featuring 14 tracks which examine the very essence of human nature, and while it’s not always an easy listen emotionally, it is always rewarding. Case in point being opening track ‘Total Control’; it’s a muscular track that arrives powered by a forceful backbeat and soaring guitars, yet the lyrics evidence a vulnerability that runs counter to the music and makes an interesting tension of opposites and one that will echo throughout the album.
This is the first album that Morgan Wade has composed completely by herself and the result is the most cohesive album of her career. While no two tracks inhabit the same sonic space, there’s a uniformity to the songs which ensures the album ebbs and flows perfectly between rockers, ballads and country standards. It’s the confessional lyricism that stitches the record together with nods to addiction, bad relationships and past mistakes; it’s something we can all relate to (to some extent) and that creates a bond between artist and listener. It’s a magical, almost tangible, bond that’s hard to achieve, yet Obsessed does primarily through Morgan’s vocals which sound wise beyond her 29 years. Tracks such as ‘2 AM In London’ are told with the authority of an old blues artist, but sung with Morgan’s honey-soaked vocals. Another first for this album is a duet, this time with Kesha, the two turning ‘Walked On Water’ into an acutely cutting ballad, and one that reaches the bone.
Such is the depth of emotion on this album that a gaping chasm is left at its conclusion and this makes the silence that follows ‘Deconstruction’ positively deafening…but don’t worry, you’ll soon be hitting ‘play’ again.
- Obsessed is released via Sony Music on 16th August 2024.
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Track List:
- Total Control
- Department Store
- Time To Love, Time To Kill
- Obsessed
- Juliet
- 2 AM In London
- Hansel And Gretel
- Spin
- Reality
- Walked On Water
- Halloween
- Crossing State Lines
- Moth To A Flame
- Deconstruction
