Kevin Morby opens Little Wide Open with warmth, mortality and middle-American distance

Kevin Morby releases Little Wide Open on 15 May via Dead Oceans, and the album feels like the work of a songwriter who has learned that quietness can carry enormous weight. Produced by Aaron Dessner, the record follows Morby’s long-running fascination with place, memory, travel and the complicated emotional pull of middle America.

The guest list is impressive, with Justin Vernon, Lucinda Williams, Katie Gavin, Amelia Meath, members of The National and Hand Habits all connected to the project, but the album does not feel overdecorated. Its center remains Morby’s voice: observant, dusty, affectionate and slightly haunted. Songs such as Badlands, Die Young, Javelin, Natural Disaster, Cowtown and Field Guide for the Butterflies suggest an artist circling the big questions without pretending he has solved them.

What makes Little Wide Open interesting is its sense of scale. Morby is not writing small songs, but he is writing them without grandstanding. The stories feel naked enough to breathe, which may be Dessner’s most important contribution. For indie-folk listeners, this is one of the essential 15 May releases: reflective, tuneful and emotionally open without becoming soft around the edges. Source: https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/kevin-morbys-little-wide-open-features-justin-vernon-katie-gavin-lucinda-williams-the-national-hand-habits ; Label: https://www.deadoceans.com/artist/kevin-morby