Kevin Morby Shines in This Moment On His Latest, This Is a Photograph

His seventh record is Morby's best since 2016's 'Singing Saw'

There are a few ideas behind This Is a Photograph, the excellent new album from indie troubadour Kevin Morby. When his father was hospitalized a few years ago, Morby looked through old pictures in his Kansas City childhood home when he happened upon a picture of a much younger version of his father in full health. Working with this as an inspiration, Morby created one of the singles of the year in the reflective title track.

As a musical statement that reflects a particular era in his life, Morby has this to say about This is a Photograph:

“It’s probably somewhat obvious - but I was exploring the idea of what a ‘record’ is while writing this album. Seemed to me nothing more really than a documentation of a time and place that exists somewhere in the past as it stretches out a bygone present moment. In this specific document, I aimed to depict what it means to be alive and chasing a dream with such limited time here on earth. I wanted these depictions to be vivid enough to see in front of you, as if you were holding an old photo.”

One can break up Morby’s career into other photographs like his time in New York in which he played in Woods and The Babies before releasing his memorable solo debut, Harlem River. Or when he relocated to Los Angeles for Still Life and best record, Singing Saw. His subsequent few albums featured Morby returning to his hometown with his partner, Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee. These records have come up short in my book as they tend to meander without much melodic variety.

As a longtime fan, I’m happy to hear that Morby’s latest snapshot is his best since Singing Saw’s companion piece, City Lights. This Is a Photograph still has a few lulls, like the sagging middle of “Disappearing” and “A Coat of Butterflies,” but Morby now fills in the gaps with beautiful choirs and string sections to give a fresh coat of paint to his pastoral sound.

Morby wrote most of the album during an extended stay at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, and the city serves up an imaginative pallet that allows his songwriting to shine. Aside from the title track, Morby often works in lyrical plays on repeating phrases, and songs like “A Random Act of Kindness” demonstrate this by floating in the ether while building towards its grand coda. Working in Tennessee also pays dividends when one of my current favorite Nashville voices, Erin Rae (read my review for her latest here), shows up for a lovely duet in “Bittersweet, TN.”

While it’s easy to love the brilliant front half of This Is a Photograph, the album truly shines in its last twenty-five or so minutes. “Rock Bottom” is the most fun song Morby has released since his Ramones tribute “1234” on 2017’s City Lights. It’s great to hear some fuzzed-out guitar again, and the lighthearted romp is filled with clanking cowbells and laughs credited to Tim Heidecker and Alia Shawkat.

“Stop Before I Cry,” a love song written for Crutchfield, highlights the record’s tender finish, and “It’s Over” finds Morby reflecting on the past few difficult years. Closer “Goodbye To Good Times” is a Bob Dylan-esque acoustic number that flows through many ideas, again visiting portraits of Morby’s parents from a long-ago time with mentions of Mickey Mantle and Tina Turner to childhood memories with his sister. Supported by producer Sam Cohen’s lap steel guitar, it’s an authentic blast of nostalgia.

Lately, there’s been a pattern of old favorites returning with their best work in years, like My Morning Jacket or Kurt Vile, and This Is a Photograph fills me with joy that I haven’t had in a Kevin Morby album since Singing Saw. His songwriting and lyrics reach a new level here, and aside from a few songs that may still grow on me, Morby has released a cracking mission statement for the next phase of his career.

This Is a Photograph is available now on Dead Oceans.

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Hear songs from these albums and more on the Good Ass Songs 2022 playlist!