Norah Jane and MOR.LOV - Godspeed (Tru Thoughts) [Nu-Soul]
- The Slow Music Movement
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Norah Jane started her musical path early: picking up the guitar at ten, then not hanging about before she started dabbling with songwriting and other instruments. Inspired by all the right influences: Sarah Vaughn and Donny Hathaway plus the more recent shining black light Nubya Garcia, she's got a cool, laid-back, disarming, somewhat stoned, intimate blue-eyed soul vibe. I like her.
MOR.LOV also calls Amsterdam home, and he's been honing his craft for the last fifteen years - coming out of the ghost producing shadows in the last three, to help vocalists, most notably Norah Jane, to propel their tales through the speakers with his eclectic production.
Godspeed is the duo's debut, and I'd be surprised if it was their last, album - it's a fine blend of hazy, down-to-earth urban soul, every-girl trip hop and housing estate poetry, the over polished sheen left for the Billboard 100. The pair keep it real.
There's often a throwback vibe to MOR.LOV's beats, whether it's the acoustic, candle-lit trip hop of, "There is no Greater Love" - the pair's latest single, and the perfect vehicle for Jane's softly spun, half-sung/half-spoken vocals that drift invitingly through the speakers. Varying shades of trip hop, from the dubbier "N1 Dub" to the heavier low-end frequency anchored, late-night soul of "Distracted" thread the album; alongside similar tempo, somewhat grimier nu-soul vibes.
But don't get too comfortable, there are some jump-up moments too: watch out for the liquid drum and bass meets neosoul of "A Minute" and the late hardcore meets early jungle vibes of the album's title track, which feature the guest vocals of SB ARRA. Choice guest vocals are another LP trait; I can't pretend to have heard of ARRA, Razeen or Jaïr Darnoud, but these up-and-comers all do their part, fitting into the smoky living room, tower block soul vibe perfectly.
MOR.LOV really packs in the soul, nu-jazz and vintage dance music nods and the pair aren't scared to give things a cheeky twist or two, whilst Jane has serious flow and keeps things lyrically relatable - it's quite the combination. Don't hesitate.
Playlist Companion
Find the pair in the Slow Alt-Pop Playlist.