Like many esteemed musicians before him – Declan MacManus springs immediately to mind – Morgan Geer (formerly of Asheville’s fondly-remembered The Unholy Trio) plys his musical trade using a nom de musc; in his case, it’s Drunken Prayer. The Portland/Asheville artist – who argues convincingly that he’s “not trying to be neo or alt or Americana but let out a howl informed by living life and soaking up American music from slave tunes to psychedelia to street parades” – released his third album, House of Morgan this month.
This time employing a more stripped-down approach than was used on 2012′s Into the Missionfield, Geer cut House of Morgan at home on a vintage cassette four-track (with some assist from computer software). But despite the bare-bones approach – Geer plays and sings all the sounds on the record – the sonic thread that runs through his earlier efforts remains unbroken. Listeners will hear strains of soul, funk, garage, blues, and roadhouse country. But they’re all deftly woven together by Geer’s unique sensibility. House of Morgan is out November 19 on Portland-based Fluff and Gravy Records.
