Lorrie Morgan’s long and storied career opens a powerful chapter with her new album Dead Girl Walking. The collection finds her at a place in her artistic and personal journey where she feels unfettered by any expectations to conform or tailor her views for audience acceptance. These songs find her stripped of her falsity, proud, and unfazed by the miles behind or ahead.
The daughter of classic country Grand Old Opry icon George Morgan, Lorrie marked her 40th anniversary as a member of the Opry in early July 2024. However, she isn’t standing still for her laurels. Restless yearning continues defining her music, along with a voracious appetite for life, and her talents as an interpreter of the best songs keep growing with each passing year.
URL: https://lorrie.com/
Ample evidence for this abounds throughout Dead Girl Walking’s ten tracks. Recurring horn flourishes punctuate the steady pulse of “Hands on You”. Morgan scatters low-key yet colorful adornments throughout the arrangement and manages its sensuous and earthy lyrics with canny veteran subtlety. It supplies a welcome jolt to hear her engage with such blunt longing. It reinforces the notion that she’s long past the point of pulling punches. The title song, “Dead Girl Walking”, underlines that notion. It builds patiently, and the vocal arrangement is superb. It has more teeth than the opener thanks to the understated yet muscular guitar presence throughout the cut. Her stark portrayal of heartache’s aftermath will impress all but the most cynical listeners. It shifts into a higher gear for the bridge with organ color before climaxing with a brief yet fierce lead guitar break.
“Me and Tequila” has a classic country vibe without ever sounding hidebound to purist expectations. Much of that is thanks to its thoroughly contemporary sound. Potent guitar work powers the arrangement alongside unwavering timekeeping that crescendos at the right moments. The underlying fundamentals fueling this song have enduring appeal. “I Think It’s Jesus” rolls ahead with a slow simmer dotted by occasional well-timed explosions. However, Morgan maintains an even-handed balance throughout the performance. It has an interesting and honest point of view. She deserves kudos for expressing her personal beliefs in an uncompromising fashion that never flirts with hectoring or sermonizing listeners.
The mid-tempo jaunt adopted by “Days Like These” is well suited for depicting a lyrical idyll. It reflects the elastic talent that has always characterized Morgan’s work. A handful of relaxed and colorful ornamental moments that help flesh out the track’s potential further highlight the arrangement. Dead Girl Walking’s penultimate song, “I Almost Called Him Baby by Mistake”, unifies a modern sound with classic country songwriting virtues without missing a beat. It’s one of the album’s strongest moments and elicits a commanding vocal from Morgan that ranks among her career finest.
The finale, “You Send Me”, covers the Sam Cooke classic. Morgan delivers a distinctive take on this venerable chestnut that doesn’t try mimicking Cooke. Her spin is respectful yet committed to carving out a niche for herself in the song’s long history. It’s a successful conclusion to one of her best albums. Dead Girl Walking is entertaining and affecting from beginning to end.
Garth Thomas