Jeremy: From the Dust to the Stars

The name is Jeremy Morris and his new album is From the Dust to the Stars and an excellent album it is. The veteran musician has released a multitude of albums throughout the course of a career that has spanned over thirty years with his debut Alive seeing the light of day in 1983. Jeremy is also the owner and founder of Jam Records but interestingly enough his new album can be found on the Russian label MALS.

Jeremy is a very talented multi-instrumentalist (vocals, guitars, Mellotron, bass, synthesizers, piano, dulcimer and drums) and for the most part is a one man band although he does enlist help on drums and keyboards. Upon my first spinning of this disc I really had no idea what to expect as I had never heard the man's music before. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement.

The album is bookended by a couple of epic tracks; "The Great Escape" and "For Chosen Ones", each over fifteen minutes in length. The latter featuring moody synths, atmospheric guitars, soaring lead work and excellent vocals reminiscent of John Lennon. His voice is one of the highlights of the disc, very calming and easy to listen to. It is a highly melodic track with a retro psychedelic edge to the sound. "For Chosen Ones" is absolute ear candy; a beautifully rendered epic with melodic acoustic/electric guitar, spacey synths and at times a sound hearkening back to Wall era Pink Floyd. Some of the keyboard sounds reminded me of Gary Wright.

There are other highlights such as the retro sounding "Hearts on Fire" and "Land of Love", both reminding me of late '60s Who and the bluesy "Shake the Dust" with its shard like stabs of guitar and psychedelic overtones. For a spacier sound check out "Storm Trooper" loaded with synths, acoustic guitar and softer ambient moments that are pure bliss.

From the Dust to the Stars is another album from 2012 that totally caught me by surprise. Excellent musicianship and song craft from a veteran musician that deserves to be heard. If you are a fan of bands like The Who and The Beatles and enjoy the introspective works of progressive bands like Camel and Pink Floyd, this is an album that you just might dig…a lot!

Track Listing:
1. The Great Escape (15:37)
2. Hearts on Fire (7:27)
3. Shake the Dust (7:25)
4. Land of Land (7:15)
5. Good Shepherd (8:53)
6. Storm Trooper (9:42)
7. For Chosen Ones (15:26)

Added: January 26th 2013
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Record Label
Hits: 2121
Language: english

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