I don't know whether John Steinbeck sang and played the guitar, but if he did I'm betting he sounded a lot like Gurf Morlix.Certainly, the protagonist in "One More Second," the first track on Morlix's new album, "Last Exit to Happyland," could have popped out of a Steinbeck novel. It's a story of a murderer's reflection of his evil deed.
As on his last album, "Diamonds to Dust," Morlix communes with the spirits of friends who have died and prays for the souls of friends who are standing at the crossroads of their lives. He does so with a gruff warmth that's almost always moving, especially when his coarse voice is paired with the angelic harmonies of Patty Griffin, Ruthie Foster and Barbara K.
Morlix doesn't head to California as Steinbeck's characters might have — though he does make a couple of empathetic trips to Louisiana to investigate the plight of folks in New Orleans. Instead, Morlix travels along the rocky road of middle age. His observations are both tender and scary ... and you'll want to hear them again and again.
