Totally Biased Fan Review: Live at the Sydney Opera House – Morgan Evans

With a plethora of Aussie country musicians leaving our shores and residing and making music in the USA, Morgan Evans is one of that gang. He is still a Novocastrian at heart and he often returns to his homeland.

He is often compared to fellow Australian, Keith Urban, though he hasn’t quite matched Keith’s success yet. He’s not far off, though.

She where do you do a LIVE album in Australia? There’s no bigger, more impressive stage than the iconic Sydney Opera House, known all around the world.

With an enthusiastic Aussie crowd, singing, cheering and clapping our boy on, the Newcastle lad makes sure that the green and gold flavour flows.

With a beautiful interlude of Bonnie Raitt’s classic I can’t make you love me, and a heartfelt introduction to Morgan’s all too true Over For You has the most epic response from a supportive crowd.

A mix of hits, Australiana and a couple of new songs.

Kita Alexander shared one of her songs with Morgan. Aussie legend John Williamson sang one of his with Morgan.

It feels like a big Aussie Celebration event but it was a day in September last year.

It is very raw, with all of the spontaneous imperfections and natural vibes of a live gig.

It is fun and full of positive energy but it is also sad and thoughtful.

I had a chuckle at some things and a tear or two about others. I hope that this goes on DVD soon as it certainly has an impact.

We can be very proud of our Aussie boy.

Splendid. Bloody rippa.

Totally Biased Fan Review: Young, Dumb and Wild – Andy Golledge

Andy surprised us by releasing this album without any considerable warning. He likes surprising us. His country music style crosses many genres. His previous album, Strength of a Queen, came from out of the blue and against a lot of Golden Guitar norms, he earned a very popular nomination from his peers for the album.

The album was a bit left of centre but I loved it. I think that I love this one even more. My fellow Tamworth native displays more Neil Young and Neil Murray here than the traditional artists but with the stories and flavours of that traditional vibe.

There’s a bit of David Gates and Townes Van Zandt and Gram Parsons here too. In the end, it is all original but with hints of those iconic artists.

Andy doesn’t like to be pigeon holed and it is actually impossible to do that, because he is so different. He’s different yet so familiar.

Andy concentrates more on performing his live shows – he loves playing to a crowd. This comes across in his recordings too, as he performs each of these songs on the album as though he is performing in front of a live audience rather than to the four walls of a studio.

In a press statement, Golledge explained that despite the album title, the title track was actually “anything but a song about being young, dumb and wild.” Rather, he said: “It’s more about holding onto that inner child that helps you create more freely. It reflects my efforts to come to terms with performance anxiety and setting myself free on stage.”

Thus, what he does and where that is coming from are totally different stories. Many of our best artists are introverts who appear to be extroverts – much like a character actor who does their best work when they put on a mask or wear a costume or put on an accent.

Andy covers a lot of bases and a lot of emotions here. The melodies travel that proverbial rollercoaster with the lyrics.

Happiness is one of my favourite songs this year, so far. It is the last track on the album and by no means least. There’s one hell of a ride to go on until we get there.

I See a Rose, Siren and Country Band aren’t far behind. Every track is different and the crowds will lap them up. You’ll be able to have a party in your loungeroom as much as you can in a bar or a hall.

This is a top notch album from a man who just keeps getting better.