Ghost Hotel
Self-Released, 2022
9/10
The exceptional singer-songwriter Karen Morand is in fine company here, where her acoustic band, The Bosco Boys, help her explore themes of identity, longing and loneliness across a very diverse landscape of well thought out song craft.
The title track starts the listen with Aaron Verhulst’s warm pedal steel and Benny Santoro’s crisp drumming, as Morand’s smooth, glowing pipes guide the country rocker, and “Beautiful Scars” follows with a soulful approach where a poetic quality is embraced amid Moran’s strong, broad singing.
In the middle, “Never Enough” welcomes Brett Number on backing vocals, as a very emotive appeal enters the cautiousness that tips its hat to Motown, while “Evangeline” shimmers with much beauty amid timeless folk sounds that are a bit dreamy, too, in a gospel sort of way.
Making our way towards the end, “Smoke & Fire” places Mike Stevens on harmonica alongside soothing vocal harmonies in the slow burning album highlight, and “Coffee” exits the listen with a mandolin friendly, hand clapping playfulness that’s a bit rootsy, kind of bluesy, and sounds just right for a campfire.
Morand is armed with a voice you won’t soon forget, and meticulous attention to detail makes for an Americana, folk, soul, roots effort that just might be one of the year’s best.
Travels well with: Partington & Sweeney- Commonplaces; Jim Stanard- Color Outside The Lines