Sarah Morris: “All Mine” (2020) CD Review

Sarah Morris is a singer and songwriter based in Minneapolis. She’s been performing and recording for nearly a decade, and her new release, All Mine, features all original material. The songs of this album show her talent for writing excellent lyrics, lyrics that she delivers with a voice that is appealing and strong and honest. Joining her on this album are Thomas Nordlund on guitar, Andrew Foreman on bass, and Lars-Erik Larson on drums and piano (the three collectively known as The Sometimes Guys). There are also several special guests on various tracks.

The album opens with its title track, “All Mine,” and about ten seconds into it, Sarah is already offering us some gems in the lyrics. “A whisper that the cards I need are already in my hand” is a really good line. I appreciate its optimistic bent, something most of us need these days. Sarah’s voice here is like a companion, or even guide, on this journey we’re on, as we each stumble. “I get lost, but I don’t mind/As long as the story I find/Is all mine.” This track features several special guests, including Joe Peterson on organ, Shane Akers on lap steel, and Haley Rydell on violin. This song deals with being a songwriter: “If I’m lucky the words will come out right/In phrases at once simple and sublime/And as long as they are true I don’t care if they rhyme.” Yeah, I think she’s succeeded there.

“Stir Me Up” begins with a cool rhythm, one that immediately works its magic on me. And soon Sarah’s voice comes in with a style to match it, and it’s clear from those opening moments that this song is going to be something special. It builds in energy as it goes, gathering others up in the process so that soon we have some wonderful backing vocals. “You look like the kind of trouble I could use/So won’t you stir me up and shake me loose.” Oh yes! Tommy Barbarella is on organ. That’s followed by “Mendocino,” a pretty song, her vocals having a more intimate quality. “Even when you’re nowhere near me/You always find a way to mess me up/And no matter where I run/It’s never far enough.” This is one I like more and more. “Their tiny hearts beating/So fast, trying to be free/Is that how you see me?” Joe Peterson is on organ, and Matthew French provides backing vocals on this track.

“Don’t Come Clean” also has an intimate sound to her vocal delivery. This is a beautiful and honest song, my personal favorite of the album, and one of the best songs I’ve heard so far this year.  Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Don’t come clean, don’t come perfect/Don’t come shiny and new/I want to see behind the curtain/Show me every speck of dust that makes up the whole of you/Come a little messed up, come broken.” And Haley Rydell’s work on violin adds to this song’s beauty. At one point in the song Sarah sings that she is “wide open,” and that is exactly how it sounds, that she has opened herself up here in a completely engaging and wonderful way, a way in which we all hope to open ourselves to someone. This is an excellent song.

There is a sweet quality to “There, There.” I love the lines “Once again your heart is haunted/By the ghost of a dream that might have been” and “Certain no one knows how lost you feel/‘Cause if they did, wouldn’t somebody be looking for you.” Annie Fitzgerald provides backing vocals on this one. As I mentioned, Sarah Morris can really write a lyric. Every song has lines that stand out, lines I want to remember. From “The Promise Of Maybe,” one line that stands out for me is “Don’t stop when you get dizzy, that’s a sign you’re almost there.” Joe Peterson adds some nice work on organ to this track, and to the track that follows it, “Two Circles On The Kitchen Table,” with the line “I wish I didn’t wish that you were still here” standing out for me. This is another pretty song with a passionate and moving vocal performance. She opens herself up here too. “Please don’t ask how I’m doing/When you know damn well.” That’s followed by “How I Want To Love You,” which has a sweet, adorable vibe and sound. I kind of melt when she sings the song’s title line, “That’s how I want to love you.” And of course the line “Building walls – I’d rather watch them fall” stands out. Later in the song, Sarah sings “I remember, do you remember/When time and energy weren’t such commodities/I know you’re tired ‘cause baby I am tired.” Those lines certainly strike a chord with me. This is another of my favorite tracks, and it features Shane Akers on lap steel, and David Feily on mandolin.

There is a bit of a bluesy edge to “I’m A Wreck,” aided by Joe Peterson’s work on organ. I love Sarah’s vocal performance here, which is captivating. “I don’t like being so exposed/Raw nerves under useless clothes/I’ve whispered secrets you shouldn’t know/In hopes you’d just leave me alone.” Jasper Nephew plays electric guitar on this track. That’s followed by “Things You Can’t Tell By Looking At A Picture,” which draws us in almost immediately, her vocals clearly the focus here. And what a wonderful and engaging vocal performance, the lyrics coming at us almost like a poetry reading at moments, then her voice rising in glory. And that guitar work below her voice adds to the song’s gripping quality. The album then concludes with “Higher,” another beautiful song featuring some nice work by Shake Akers on lap steel. Eric Mayson adds some good work on piano. “And oh, there’s the sweetest moment/When I don’t know where I’m going/Then gravity pulls me back down.” The backing vocals by Annie Fitzgerald seem to lift her up, and gently bring her down, as if accompanying her and keeping her safe, and thus keeping us safe too. The song ends with “Higher and higher,” a line offering seemingly limitless possibilities, a good place to leave us, so we remain positive, optimistic.

CD Track List

1. All Mine
2. Stir Me Up
3. Mendocino
4. Don’t Come Clean
5. There, There
6. The Promise Of Maybe
7. Two Circles On A Kitchen Table
8. How I Want To Love You
9. I’m A Wreck
10. Things You Can’t Tell By Looking At A Picture
11. Higher 

All Mine was released on February 21, 2020.