morning orbit review #1

MOIST FRONTMAN RELEASES 2ND CD

Author: Jane Stevenson
Source: Jam! / Toronto Sun
Date: July 22, 2001

MORNING ORBIT
David Usher
(EMI)

The credits for the second solo album by Moist frontman David Usher, in stores Tuesday, reads like a who's who of Can-Rock.

Helping Usher out here are his "day job" bandmates Jeff Pearce, Mark Makoway and Kevin Young, Gord Sinclair of The Tragically Hip, Jeff Martin of The Tea Party, Jagori Tanna and Bruce Gordon of I Mother Earth, and Snow.

The end result is a far more mainstream sounding collection than Usher's 1998 solo debut, Little Songs, an acoustic and dance-oriented departure compared to Moist's intense rock.

This isn't to say the sunny pop of Morning Orbit doesn't have its merits.

Particularly good are both versions of Black Black Heart, which samples the operatic The Flower Duet, and features Julia Galios the first time out, while rocking much harder in its second rendition courtesy of producer Martin. A pretty cover of Tracy Chapman's Fast Car has some soulful vocal and harmony support from Barnev, and there's the striking album-ending Closer.

The collaboration with Snow, however, on Joy In Small Places, doesn't quite gel.

Usher is expected to tour on behalf of Morning Orbit while Moist is on hiatus.

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