Kevin Morby - Oh My God

The Guardian 80

(Dead Oceans)

In contrast to the bucolic sounds of Singing Saw (2016), Kevin Morby’s 2017 follow-up, City Music, was a love letter to New York City. While the irresistible scuzzy momentum of the Velvets’ I’m Waiting for the Man is evoked again on OMG Rock n Roll here, lyrically Morby shifts his focus to more spiritual matters. If not quite a concept album, then there are certainly religious themes running through Oh My God, as Morby muses on the all-pervasive influence of faith.

These lyrical concerns are reflected in the music. But while there’s a newfound gospel sensibility at play, most notably in the handclaps embellishing No Halo and the female backing vocals of Piss River and the Dylan-esque O Behold, it’s refracted through a prism of agnosticism.

Pitchfork 62

Morby's spare fifth solo album conjures memories of gospel-phase Dylan.