Finlay Morton: Harvest The Wind

To say that Finlay Morton has accomplished a lot as a sound engineer would be a huge understatement. He has been a guest at Nelson Mandela’s garden in South Africa, drank with the now former President Mubarak in Egypt and traveled with former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, where he visited 23 countries in 28 days. Harvest The Wind, Morton’s third album, certainly has a great story but that doesn’t mean his music is the same way.

Simplistic to say the least, all of the songs sound nearly identical. “Harvest The Wind” is probably the best song on the CD, its lyrics aren’t as dreadful as in other songs. “Do You Believe In Ghosts” sounds like a mix of Bob Dylan and R.E.M. If you are at a bar, don’t try to pick up a woman with any lines from “In At The Deep End,” unless you want to freak her out.

Some songs just don’t seem to make much sense, like “Babe, You Can’t Have My Guitar.” He doesn’t want to get rid of his guitar, even if he needed a new car for himself and his wife. And after listening to “Chasing The American Dream,” it is safe to say that he doesn’t know much about the dream.

Born in Scotland, Morton plays the acoustic guitar fairly well. His lyrics, however, have to get better. When the album is released on March 29, I will be looking elsewhere for something to listen to.

In A Word: Dismal