John Moreland’s “Spotify Sessions” is Perfect Introduction to a World-Class Songwriter
If you’ve been hearing about this heartbreaking songwriter named John Moreland for the last few years and been waiting for the right time to check him out, this would be the perfect opportunity—if you have a Spotify account that is.
There’s a nasty rumor out there that Saving Country Music has an unfavorable mind of John Moreland, and nothing could be further from the truth. Out of 20 possible review points to assign to his last two studio albums—In The Throes and High On Tulsa Heat—Moreland has been awarded 19 of them, with the only reservation being that the production behind some of his songs leaves a little bit to be desired.
This qualifying point isn’t meant as a knock on Moreland’s music, or a desire to see him adopt a polished or commercial sound. It’s more a friendly suggestion. And the production issues may not even be Moreland’s fault. Undoubtedly, John Moreland is one of the great songwriters of our time, and you can feel confident in this opinion because so many of the other great songwriters of our time—folks like Jason Isbell and others—are quick to concur.
But some of the issues with Moreland’s studio production have been that it’s neither here nor there. Songwriters like Moreland are the hardest to capture in the studio because the music tends to be at its best in the raw form, yet you feel like you must add a little more musical raiment to songs to justify a proper studio release. So with an artist like Moreland, you don’t want to make a full rock album, but you don’t want to leave him naked out there either.
Traditionally many steer clear of live albums and acoustic albums, and albums of previously-released material unless they’re hardcore fans. So in theory John Moreland’s Spotify Sessions recorded during SXSW 2016 starts off with three strikes already against it. But in Moreland’s case, this release might be his best yet, and just about the perfect introduction for someone whose heard the name before, but not the music.
Moreland arguably selects his greatest songs and performs them in the same simple way he does every night out tour, hushing rooms with the sheer power of story, employing a voice that is perfect for the forlornness he sings about, and displaying surprising alacrity with his acoustic guitar. This intimate element is where John Moreland and his music thrives—live and alone, sitting on the stage in front of a microphone, bearing his soul with sheer honesty and brutality. And it’s this element that has won him so many loyal fans.
When John Moreland appeared on Late Night with Stephen Colbert, they knew to not do anything more than to provide him a microphone and a chair. That’s right, Moreland has now appeared on Colbert, Spotify selected him out of the crowd to do this session, and Moreland recently got married (and his wife is probably hotter than most of ours).
People have fallen in love with John Moreland because he’s such the anti-star, and that’s one of the reasons his fans are so loyal, and so quick to defend when someone has a critical observation. But soon, if not already, he’s not just going to be an artist for those few open-minded diehard followers of heartbreaking singer-songwriters, but for anyone who’s a fan of good songs.
September 15, 2016 @ 6:43 pm
I don’t have a Spotify account, but he is an awesome talent.
September 15, 2016 @ 7:04 pm
They really should make this available in a different format in the future, but I guess if Spotify is behind it, why would they? They want your subscription.
September 15, 2016 @ 7:44 pm
Yeah, this reminds me of the Jason Isbell and Ryan Bingham sessions that Spotify also has put out. I think they also just released a Kacey Musgraves one earlier this month. I’m not a fan of Spotify paying out so little to artists due to the “free” tier, but at least someone who is working on their Americana section has damn good taste!
September 15, 2016 @ 6:46 pm
I just listened to this album today and Kevin Black just posted a picture of him opening up for Margo Price tonight, what a coincidence
September 15, 2016 @ 7:17 pm
he’s new to me
“blacklist” is five verses, but it could be five songs. yes, I get how they’re supposed to work together. but each verse could be the basis of another song entirely.
some people hide in their words. does moreland ever flat out sing and let the melody itself do the heavy lifting? because to me, he’s almost working too hard, as a writer
September 15, 2016 @ 9:48 pm
Blacklist is my favorite song by him for the reasons you don’t seem to like it. It’s an adventure.
September 16, 2016 @ 11:09 am
I do like it
just saying, he’s got at least a couple songs right there in it
September 15, 2016 @ 7:19 pm
Funny enough I first heard about him from a Miranda Instagram post last year. Looked up his music & bought his CDs. Seriously just love his voice & lyrics. Just pure talent!
September 15, 2016 @ 8:19 pm
Maybe I’m getting crotchety and old, but I want to own my music. I want to put songs in a playlist or burn a CD if I want. I just can’t see paying money for a streaming service I could use to buy a album.
Maybe some day I won’t have a choice, but for now I’m not paying.
September 15, 2016 @ 8:35 pm
I’m there with you. I’ve used a few streaming services but I’ll always prefer having something tangible that I can hold on to and look at.
September 15, 2016 @ 9:02 pm
“I’m getting crotchety and and old” and “I want…to burn a cd” in the same sentence. Fuck, am I getting crotchety and old, too?? Shit, I’m only 30, but that just sounded weird as hell to me!
September 16, 2016 @ 2:11 pm
I see your 30 and raise you (drop you) to 23. And yes, I’m the ‘crotchety’ old man of my friends.
September 16, 2016 @ 11:10 am
I’m with you, Scott. If I like it enough, I buy it. And I want uncompressed audio, not this mp3 crap.
September 16, 2016 @ 1:11 pm
I definitely agree, but you can listen to this without a paid subscription. I’ve been using the free version for years to listen to music before I order an album. Just have to listen to ads (which are incredibly annoying) on the free version
September 15, 2016 @ 8:33 pm
This settles it: I’m finally going to get Spotify Premium.
September 15, 2016 @ 8:49 pm
Well at a whopping .0168 a stream, don’t look for any production value to increase. Streaming killed sales. Double edged sword.
September 15, 2016 @ 11:51 pm
Blogs like Saving Country Music no longer exist. Obviously, SCM does, but this is an extremely rare exception at this point, and it is operating on borrowed time. Everything has moved to playlists and podcasting. Folks have been telling me for years that I need to be making Spotify playlists,or make playlists from my “Best Of” lists, etc. But I don’t because I just don’t want to broach the whole Spotify subject.
However when it comes to this particular album, this is an album for Spotify, by Spotify. They paid to record it and distribute it, so it’s not exactly a situation where the songwriter is getting screwed. The point is to hopefully promote John Moreland, and draw more attention to his studio titles.
I see the Spotify issue both ways. As bad as the payouts are, some use it as a scapegoat for their lack of success or revenue. Many, many studies have been published recently that say that labels and artists are making just as much, if not more money from streaming than they were from downloading before. For independent artists, it can be a different story, but some do well on Spotify and streaming. Ultimately if the music resonates and the artist plays their cards right, there is still success to be had in the streaming world. The story of John Moreland is a testament to that.
September 16, 2016 @ 6:49 am
Yes. And Facebook, Twitter, etc. have largely killed top-specific sites, as well. I used to read and interact on a number of fishing and hunting-related sites. Seven or eight years ago, these sites were frequented by thousands of people. Now there a couple dozen guys, at best. They’ve all moved to Facebook, and I refuse to sign up for that abomination.
September 16, 2016 @ 3:12 pm
Streaming killed sales but I discovered a LOT of artists on Spotify that I never would have even heard of without it. Sure, I’m only giving them .0168 or whatever, but that’s .0168 more than they ever would have gotten from me without Spotify.
September 16, 2016 @ 5:32 am
I like the streaming model based on the fact that it has just about killed piracy. The artist can keep track of how many times their songs are actually getting spun, and can gain traction with the right placement in certain playlists. As for the artist payouts, I would say wait a bit, until we get more money flowing in. A rising tide lifts all boats. This Spotify session only brings more attention to a very gifted artist in John.
September 16, 2016 @ 7:36 am
I gotta say, I usually listen to your current music recommendations for about fifteen seconds, roll my eyes, and move on with my day. But this guy is GREAT.
September 16, 2016 @ 8:55 am
I wish I could just buy a CD of this.
September 16, 2016 @ 9:28 am
what does having a hot wife have to do with anything?
September 16, 2016 @ 11:11 am
you have to ask?
September 16, 2016 @ 11:02 am
Was at Ben Nichols (Lucero) solo show and I believe he was just hanging out backstage. Ben said I want to bring out the “best songwriter I know”. Moreland walked out, took Ben’s guitar and started into “I Need You to Tell Me Who I Am”. Hush fell over the crowd, and the only audible sound was the bloomers hitting the floor.
September 17, 2016 @ 7:07 am
I had heard the name John Moreland a few times, but never actually listened to any music from him. He opened for Jason Isbell when I saw him in June. I was pleasantly surprised. I saw some people complaining because he just sat there, playing his guitar and singing. I loved it, though. There’s something really powerful about such a stripped down approach and it works for him. I’ve been a fan since.