REVIEW: Kimberly Morgan York — Found Yourself A Lady (LP)
Great songwriting doesn’t have to be muddled up or expressed at a discerning level — it just has to make you feel like you’re in that same situation. Or maybe it takes you to a place that you want to visit time and time again. Inspired and playing out like a page turner, the gifted singer and songwriter Kimberly Morgan York along with her backing group, The Everlovin’ Band, catapults the listener into a carousel of quips and tell-it-like-it-is-isms in Found Yourself A Lady. This collection of country showstoppers and ballads is one heckuva sonic journey that I found myself spinning again and again.
URL: https://kimberlymorganyork.com/
Right out of the gate, “Don’t Cry To Me” sets the stage for a sound that recalls the pageantry and allure of country music, with Morgan York’s sweet harmony masked with her almost rockabilly spirit. The track has residues of Texas but stomps its boots pretty squarely into the Kentucky — West Virginia state lines. “Don’t Cry To Me”, a song that tells the tale of a woman not about to take any grief or crying from her cheating ex, is clever and fun. The quick-pace and Morgan York’s natural ease behind the microphone are what makes the magic really come alive in this tune. Not to mention, the backing band feels just as revved up; a dashing mix of wispy percussion, tight bass and a heavy dose of pedal steel guitar (with electronic guitar) is the perfect recipe for a Saturday night honky tonk.
And it just keeps getting better. From there, “Southern Girls Blues” and “Lady” give the listener a deeper appreciation for Morgan York’s lyrical spins. She keeps things fun and sassy in “Deuces & Jacks” and slows down the vibe in the modest “Real Thing”. What makes “Real Thing” so great is that it’s simple and plain — just as the song speaks of love being normal every-day stuff. You really hear her heart when she sings, and Morgan York has the voice of an artist that puts her all into every song. She’s not just singing words on a page. She’s lived these lyrics and she wants to express her love.
REAL AUDIO BOX: https://www.rabox.is/artist/Kimberly+Morgan+York/
In “Glory” the band continues to dominate with a plunky — sing along. I loved the warmth of this song and found myself bopping along. Then it’s “Over You”, “Let Me Go”, “You’ll Play” and “Now I Lay Me”. By the album’s ending tune, it’s an exhausting trip, but a very fulfilling one at that. If you’re a fan of the Dixie Chicks, Loretta Lynn, Drive-By Truckers and like your breakfast piled high with biscuits and gravy, then Kimberly Morgan York & The Everlovin’ Band will feed your spirit and heart in the gotta-have-it Found Yourself A Lady. Making up The Everlovin’ Band are Brad Morgan (drums; and yes, he’s the same Brad Morgan from Drive-By Truckers), Wendy Musick (guitar), Adam Musick (guitar, pedal steel) and Chuck Bradburn (bass). Morgan York hits all the right notes and is the key to the country music’s future. Mark my words.
Colin Jordan
