Given my own emotional state lately, I was a little nervous about listening to the new John Moreland album. Could I really handle another beautifully phrased litany of personal failures?
I was happy to find that High on Tulsa Heat has struck a happy balance between Moreland’s strongest impulses: it’s not as slit-your-wrist bleak as In The Throes, but it’s still muted compared to Everything the Hard Way.
If you’re new to the game, then the first thing you need to know about John Moreland is that he’s easily one of the best songwriters out there. If you already know him, rest assured that High on Tulsa Heat is more of the same. That’s pretty much the long and short of what needs to be said about this album. It’s hard to pick a song that stands out to me since they’re all so strong individually. I guess I’ll just say that if you’re struggling with depression, John can articulate it better than you can, but there’s a lot of comfort in that.
It’s been exciting to see John featured on major outlets like Diffuser and NPR! In The Throes generated a lot of buzz and it seems like the right people are starting to key in. Sometimes the good guys win. And if anyone deserves it, it’s John Moreland.
John Moreland — Official, Facebook, Preorder High on Tulsa Heat on John’s site