“If I had heard this album in 2007 it would have easily been in my Top 5 albums for the entire year. As it stands right now, it’s still one of the best things I’ve heard in ‘08. A work of incredible beauty. It’s equal parts Main Street circus parade and lullabies for nights when the wind blows through moonlit November cornfields.”
--Shaun Harvey
CVILLEMUSE.COM
MINOR 7TH REVIEW
by David Kleiner
In "Candyapolis," the fears ("Little Cameron"), fantasies ("Rainbow Rollercoaster"), and follies ("Candy Apples") of the child mingle with the part in everyone that never grows up. Childhood wonder ("Snow Day") co-exists with loss of innocence ("Billie Weir's Dress"). Keith Morris' album of twisted lullabies evokes that intersection in toe-tapping barnburners with raucous choruses and in quiet melodies ("October Lullaby"). Morris has found a perfect partner to realize his gentle lunatic dream in co-producer Jeff Romano and his Charlottesville regulars. Morwenna Lasko's fiddle alternately swings hard and sways gently ("October Lullaby"). Sandy Grey (electric guitar) and Romano (harmonica) catch fire in a duet (Daniel Johnston's "Casper the Friendly Ghost") over Jennifer Morris's perfectly screwball la-la-las. Richelle Claiborne's backing vocals are a force of nature ("Cross-Eyed John, Ain't Got No Brain"). Part-if not all-of Morris lives in Candyapolis. You live completely in the real world. But when you catch yourself humming, "Cross-Eyed John," better check your address.
--David Kleiner
www.minor7th.com
"Joyous stuff! Candyapolis is a tent revival for backsliding ex-kids. Smart, playful, brave, original, eclectic, literate . . . proof that smiles don't have to be bland."
--Brady Earnhart
English Professor
(Mary Washington University)
and Songwriter
Few artists could walk you through the varied nooks and neighborhoods
of Candyapolis and make them real, in all their grime and glory, and
breathe them to life, without somehow stealing away their magic.
Keith Morris leads this tour like a true street hustler/ spirit guide.
--Danny Schmidt
Songwriter/Musician
Damn fine effort. Achingly beautiful melodies here and there reminded me of the feel of Kurt Wagner's (Lambchop) lyrics and delivery, but without the detached irony. I'd fail the test trying to figure what the ‘theme’ of Candyapolis is, but that’s what makes it work for me. As an album, it's hard to find anything to compare it to. (It's) all very cool!
--Tom House
Songwriter/Musician
I thoroughly love this album. Voice, songs, production--all classic. I was engaged at first listen. It sounds like Ryan Adams fronting some kinda alt-country-Leonard Cohen-introspective-grandeur combo (and I mean that in the best possible way.) He's onto something.
--Shannon Wells
Music Columnist
Charlottesville Daily Progress
Candyapolis covers all the important ground: I can make dinner to it, yes, but also, in the car, or under headphones, I can always find a new lyric, a new reference, or turn of phrase, to wonder at. Jeff Romano's production is wondrously loose and yet entirely bulletproof -- nothing I would change. If ballading Beck had roots as deep, had both driven a cab and taught English in a backwoods Virginia college, perhaps his whine would have the same transporting depth as Keith Morris's.
--Devon Sproule
Songwriter/Musician
“You really HAVE to hear this album! It's so much fun. One of my absolute favorites.”
--Paul Curreri
Songwriter/Musician
Like some rambling, twisted Garrison Keillor children’s story where whimsical monsters battle Satchel Paige for sugary carnival treats, there’s enough lyrical inventiveness and good humor here to warrant multiple listens, and fans of the genre might find this a new favorite.
--Cripsy Duck
Cvillain.com
I absolutely love Candyapolis! It's one of a kind. The songs, and the way they are presented, emote a long forgotten spontaneous innocence that most of us have but think we're way too cool to reveal. Another thing I appreciate is that it's not the same old story on there. There's imagination, tenderness, playfulness, and a wild side...and ain't nothin' on there about global warming, thank you!
--Mary Gordon Hall
Songwriter/Musician
First Review of Songs From Candyapolis: Crossroads Magazine
Translated:
I want to quickly mention the release of 'Candyapolis,' the premiere album from Keith Morris on Andy Friedman's label, City Salvage Records, co-produced by Jeff Romano, who has notably worked with Devon Sproule, Paul Curreri, Corey Harris, and Old School Freight Train. This collection of songs is about the poetic world of Candyland, where Keith Morris is the mayor, explains Paul Curreri in the liner notes. This little disc is one of those albums you must give complete attention to in order to fully appreciate, and which reveals itself little by little. I think of 'Billie Weir's Dress' and 'Little Cameron' and their piercing melodies, of 'Candy Apples' with its impeccable guitar and the harmonies of his neighbors, Curreri and Sproule. On 'Snow Day,' you will swear you can hear Danny Schmidt—that is to say that you're in the heart of Charlottesville's Acoustic Mafia. And as these little marvels won't be played over WRTL, I invite you to visit their MySpace page. Happy discoveries!
--Jacques Eric Legarde
Crossroads Magazine, France
Songs From Candyapolis is the debut album from Charlottesville, Virginia, songwriter Keith Morris. Born in Alabama, Morris grew up in Georgia and attended college in Athens, where he was part of the Athens music scene during its heyday. Morris’s bio cites an interesting range of influences: Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Leonard Cohen, Daniel Johnston and Vic Chesnutt. His songs, however, are strikingly original.
Candyapolis contains ten of Morris’s own songs and a cover of the Daniel Johnston classic, “Casper the Friendly Ghost.” Above all, what stands out here is that Morris is an extraordinary songwriter. “Billie Weir’s Dress,” in which he is joined by the remarkable Devon Sproule, is an exquisitely beautiful song, as dreamlike and riveting as the best works of Cohen and Chesnutt.
Morris’s expertise as a songwriter surfaces in some slower songs, such as the gorgeous “Little Cameron,” the intimate “Snow Day,” the Dylan-ish “Baby Saves World,” and the story-like “Mockingbird.” Also, the swinging “Candy Apples” has an irresistible rhythm that immediately invites you to sing along.
As a debut, Songs From Candyapolis is an accomplished and ingeniously produced album, with a great variety of songs and styles. Morris is a born artist with unlimited potential and a songwriter to keep an eye on.
--Freddy Celis
ROOTSTIME, Belgium
"I LOVE 'Songs From Candyapolis.' As a DJ, I have lots of cd's that I play one or two songs from, but 'Candyapolis' is one that I listen to all the way through on a regular basis."
--Rebecca Foster,
Host of WTJU's "Walk Right In"
"A truly unique accomplishment!"
--Pinetops Stephen
Host of WTJU's
"Cosmic American Jamboree"