This Is A Photograph

Kevin Morby

If there’s any silver lining to the pandemic, you could argue that it’s made people more introspective. This is especially true of musicians. The seed for Kevin Morby’s new album This Is A Photograph came to the American singersongwriter in early 2020 in his childhood home in Kansas City, and was eventually recorded in an upstate New York studio during the startstop period of 2021. The songs were influenced by Morby travelling Highway 61 outside of Memphis, and the result is pure Americana, as if he’s invited the listener on this road trip. Songs like “Bittersweet, TN” and “Five Easy Pieces” evoke the slow-moving portions of the Mississippi River while “Rock Bottom” speeds up the tempo, showcasing the musician’s seamless transition between folk and rock. Through this introspective journey during the last couple of years, Morby has managed to create his magnum opus.