Search - Morel :: Queen Of The Highway

Overlooked, Strong Debut

P. Gerhard | ct , usa | 08/03/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Morel is a collaborator with the deep house masterminds Deep Dish as well as doing a number of remixes under the Pink Noise name. His debut album Queen of the Highway, is a mix of house, rock, and everything in between. This is not a striaght up dance record, there is plenty of variety in songs, but they flow together surprisingly well despite comming from different backgrounds.





1 + 2. Cabaret part 1 and 2



Part 1 is a very slow introductory track that you could also hear on the end of, i belive, GU:Moscow with Deep Dish. It was the hidden track on the first disc. Part 2 picks it up as a nice moving house tune with very crisp production and lyrics throughout. Its a rather moving and uplifting track.



3. Over



The first rock song on the cd, with a slow beat and driving guitars. A definite radio friendly song with lyrics which set the stage for the general gist of the album. Sounds like a breakup song, but it is alot more clever then the usual songs about similar situations on the radio. One of my favorites on the album



4. Ride



Another rock song, a bit more downtempo with effects on the lyrics that make them seem rather haunting. Pretty decent and the content is a nice follow up to Over. Its a nice song but doesnt do anything too special, the music sounds the same throughout for the most part.



5. Dreaming of L.A.



Another house track. A good track with minimal vocals, not as moving as Cabaret part two, but very reminisence of Deep Dish's work. It starts very subltely and would be a good intro track to a mix.



6. Funny Car



This song is featured on Deep Dish's Yoshiesque II. It is a nice deep house song with Morel's vocals over it. I especially like the lyrics and the beat is very driving. Definitely danceable. It was the highpoint on Yoshiesque II and its great here too.



7. True (The Faggot is You)



Another house track, this one was featured on Deep Dish's Yoshiesque I and on John Digweed's Bedrock compilation. Similar in style to Funny Car, this was Morel's first single. Driving house with meaningful vocals, although there is some confusion about the lyrics.



8. Queen of the Highway



Back to rock. This is my second favorite song on the album. It is very melancholy but the chorus has the bittersweet feeling to it which i absolutely love. Lyrically the song is excellent and i feel this is his strongest rock-pop song on the album.



9. Under



Just a small guitar with distortion interlude.



10. Meantime



A pop-techno song about being picked on in school. Very chill with heavy effects on Morel's vocals. Kinda touching and it embodies both extremes (rock-pop and techno) present on the album. Lyrically, this song is not as strong as the others on the album.



11. All of the Sweet Ones



Back to house. This time it has more drive and horns and lyrics all over the song. A very catchy dance tune and easy to dance too. However, this song, like Cabaret part 2, gets kind of repetitive, but that is kind of the point of house. Still not a bad tune.



12.



A techno influenced rock song, with mass distortion on the vocals. It sounds good, i have a hard time hearing what he is singing sometimes. It is a fairly short song but like Meantime it fuses the pop-rock and electronic extremes on this album.



13.



Straight up rock song with Morel almost turning beat poet on us. Good song, slow, but i feel lyrically its allright but not as good as Morel does on other songs on this album. The anthemic chorus is nice though, and almost one of my favourites on the cd.



14.



A chill song, this is the closing song to the album. Very relaxed and kind of depressing. This is my favorite song by far as it flows along really well, lyrically it is awesome, and Morel's voice is great in this song.



Thoughts:

Morel is an openly homosexual singer/songwriter/producer and some people might be afraid or reluctant to give this album a listen because they do not think that lyrically they can relate themselves to the subject matter. However, Morel is an excellent songwriter and thus the homosexual references are not brought up to the foreground. The album and most of the songs are about alienation and being left out and alone, an emotion that is not reserved for homosexual people. Thus this album is lyrically accessible to everyone who is willing to give it a chance.



Conclusion:

This cd is really different then any other record i have heard because of the mixture of techno, house specifically, and intelligent pop-rock in a seamless composition. Nothing on here really sounds out of place and Morel can deliver vocally on rock songs just as well as he can on techno songs. What fails this to be an excellent album is the inherent repetition that comes with having trance and house songs as single standing pieces on an album coupled with the reality that Morel's lyrical skills arent as consistent as they perhaps should be. Regardless, for a first debut its amazing and Morel has accomplished more on his first release then most other dance music artists have on theirs. It is sad that this album was overlooked by most everyone."

TRUE

C. Haynie | Prattville, AL | 02/07/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Amazing.Brilliant.Genius.Richard Morel has almost immediately become a hero to me after hearing this album which I have only owned for 2 days, after scouring LA... This is a dance record that literally rocks and a rock record that will kick your ass if you don't dance (but the kick won't hurt.much.)
I first found out about Morel through Deep Dish's 'Junk Science' (also HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) where Richard added his cigar daddy voice and excellent production skills.I think that 'Stranded' from that album made it onto every single mix tape that I made for my friends that year, while 'Stay Gold' made it into my dj bag at every party.
And then earlier this year he hits me again with 'True (the Faggot is You)' which was one the first times I have ever completely identified with a lyrical 'dance' song at first listen.I have read that Morel has said that this song's subject (reclaiming a word used as a weapon) was taken completely out of context by some, and where I can understand that, I never had any doubts about that song's meaning. Even listening to it now, it makes sparks fly up and down my spine. I was once told that I would 'die alone' as well. So, it's a given that 'Queen Of The Highway' IS a queer record, but NO - it's not so political that it isnt accessible to all.Lyrically its more of a diary than a diatribe.It's not always a pretty ride, but its a damn good one. Gay or straight , everyone has been an outsider at some point in their lives, and this album taps into that feeling.
All songs shine in their own way... from house (used as a loose term here) to rock to moody downtempo...all of which is polished and approved by Deep Dish's magic touch.The addition of David J.on 2 songs (another artist who is a hero to me in his own right) only adds to the charm. I wish I were sitting on the couch when he and Morel recorded 'Leaving LA'.
I forsee this album going down as a classic,maybe even a critically defining moment in dance music, and probably a clear example of what pop music really should be.Britney and her boy buddies can go home, all the divas can sit down and rest for while, because its time that someone REAL who is unashamed to be their own person gets the credit, and Morel is the man.
If you are about to travel from LA to Vegas in an old dusty convertable , you had better buy this immediately!also check out Deep Dish's 'Moscow' for 16B vs Morel's 'Driving to Heaven' and any of Morel's Pink Noise mixes (Depeche Mode's 'Dream On' is just one)"

Morel's music is fresh and fusionistic

geoff bishop | Washington, DC United States | 10/24/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I tried really hard to agree with some of the constructive criticism of the previous reviewer, right up until he mentions "...shows influences ranging from trance to 70's rock to contemporary pop... band not terribly proficient." This album is first and foremost a refreshing swing away from a house-jam record. It evokes a true 'rock from the gut' feeling while giving an overall sense of a true pop record. With its housey drums (with such perfect tempo I'd swear they were sampled), funky bass, pure bring-the-house-down guitar, and from-the-heart vocals.If I wanted to hear an album full of house jams, I'd pop in Daft Punk's 'Homework', set it to repeat, and stare at a lava lamp for a couple of hours. Further, my appreciation for all of their musical talents was verified when I saw them live. They've really come into their own, and if the couple of their new songs I've heard are representative of their next album, it destined to be a 'true' epic."