Morganway - Back To Zero (2023)

The first thing you notice on “Back To Zero” is SJ Mortimer’s astonishing voice. That much was obvious when Morganway opened for Elles Bailey the other week – albeit without their full power.

Power, though, is all over the likes of “Wait For Me”, the wonderful opener here. “Come Over” is the type of the soul-filled thing that the aforementioned Bailey has made her own, but dig a little deeper into the band and there’s a rare type of skill here. There’s a blues on “Burn Every Page” and the solo from Kieran Morgan – one of the two co-founders of the group along with twin brother Callum) is astonishingly good.

It’s been there in parts all the way through, but by the end of the title track, its more or less impossible not to think of Fleetwood Mac, and the last song on the record, “Brother” – with Callum on vocals and Mortimer doing the harmonies, is an example of the more expansive sound they have, there’s echoes of Wille And The Bandits here, as Nicole J Terry’s fiddle offers a real folky diversion.

The band reckon that the album is called what it is to signify a reset. It certainly feels like here, they are planning to regroup and get stronger.