Short Reviews [Jeremy - 2018 - "The Gift"]

Also released in 2018, here we have yet another virtually solo (there is an external drummer on one track) album from Jeremy Morris, and no prizes for guessing which season this is referencing. Totally instrumental, 12 of the 20 songs are new compositions from Jeremy while the other 8 are traditional but they contain additional passages composed by Jeremy, which means that while they may seem familiar at first hearing, they are also somewhat different to what we may be used to. Take “Come All Ye Faithful” for example, this has been multi-layered with dulcimers and mandolins so there is an underlying drone and a freshness over the top, but it also moves in areas far from the original while continuing to make sense and staying true to the melodies of the original composer. While that may seem very much in keeping with a traditional Christmas number, he has allowed himself way more latitude with “Canon in D”, as while it may start as one may expect he turns it into a blasting pop rock number which probably has Johann Pachelbel spinning in his grave, as the guitar runs and feedback as Jeremy shreds is a long way from the relaxing number we all know and love (personally I prefer this one). What makes this album work so very well is the incredibly diverse number of styles being displayed within. Jeremy is such a prolific artist that he tends to keep his albums to a single style, as there will be another along in a minute (he still releases five albums a year on average), but here he moves from pop rock to folk, blues-style acoustic and so much more. “Chilly Willy” is simplicity personified with an acoustic guitar and not much else, yet one immediately gets the feel of being out on the plains with a cowboy. Due to the way he has adjusted the more well-known numbers to make them very much his and interspersed his own compositions throughout we have a very balanced album indeed which is a joy to listen to.