Canadian roots rocker EMMETT MORRIS (Juliana Riolino / Nicolette & The Nobodies) shares “Fair City” ahead of debut album, The Old Way
Following on the heels of “Gilded Cage,” Toronto singer-songwriter-guitarist Emmett Morris today shares “Fair City,” the second single from his full-length debut album The Old Way, out Sept. 25.
A breezy mid-tempo track featuring prominent pedal steel guitar, “Fair City” hearkens back to early Wilco and the sound of the ’90s alt-country insurgency. Emmett describes it as a tribute to his Irish roots.
“I was raised by Dubliners,” he says. “My mother came from the Liberties, and my father from Ballyfermot. I have so many fond memories in Dublin with family and friends, and like the song says I always feel like I’m leaving something behind when coming back to Canada. Ireland has become a very trendy place for tourists in the last few years and I began seeing more and more North American influencer know-it-alls in my feed making videos telling people to ‘just skip Dublin, it’s just a regular city.’ All 32 counties of Ireland are beautiful, and that includes Dublin. It’s an incredible place with the world’s best people. I felt the need to write it a love letter.”
Some may already be familiar with Emmett Morris as a member of Julianna Riolino’s band, and also as a member of Nicolette & The Nobodies — or even his distant past in the hardcore band Wild Side. But after releasing a couple of solo EPs, he is now ready to step out on his own.
Recorded in his hometown of Barrie, Ontario with producer Jesse Harradine, The Old Way displays a young voice determinded to follow in the footsteps of his country-rock heroes. The guitar-playing is heroic throughout the record, while the lyrics say in plain English exactly what they mean—no coded messages, with Julianna adding vocals to two songs, “Won’t Fool Me” and “Well Ran Dry,” and Nicolette reprising her role as Emmylou to Emmett’s Gram on “Friend Of Mine” and the title track.
Overall, the confident, sure-handed performances on The Old Way evince a time-and-place immediacy owing to breakneck live-from-the-floor tracking over a mere two days.
“I’d rather not piece a record together bit by bit,” Emmett says. “Instead I want to get my friends, who happen to be some killer musicians, into the room, laying down some great takes.”
This, again, is The Old Way: Plugging in, pressing record and ripping; not worrying about mistakes, never quixotically pursuing perfection, just playing music you love with people you love.
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