Kenn Morr- "Move On" by Peter D. George, Northeast Sounds

“Move On,” Kenn Morr’s fourth CD release, finds the Long Island-bred, rural Connecticut-transplanted singer-songwriter and his tight trio fashioning an especially intimate song cycle. Seldom do you hear music so reflective and detailedso honest, and once you’ve heard the album a time or two, you’ll have a tough time getting the memorable tunes out of your head.

Morr composed all the songs, most of which speak of very personal experience, from the opening title track, “Move On”—a musical letter counseling a friend to forget the broken past and embrace the future—to “Blue Morn,” an autobiographical account of the events of 9/11/01. Morr was near Ground Zero at the time and describes—in a moving, yet surprisingly tuneful way—the rush to leave the city where the people “were upside down” and “order wasn’t anywhere to be found.”

The CD takes the listener on a journey from grown-up rock through reggae, country, and Celtic flavors. Morr’s distinctively deep voice is the focus, and the singer also handles guitar, mandolin, lap steel, and harmonica. Dan Hocott supplies harmony vocals and deep bass grooves (stand-up, acoustic, and electric), while Bob Gaspar adds just the right colors on drums and an interesting assortment of percussion. Karen Nolan decorates a few of the songs with seductive violin.

Rex Fowler, voice of veteran folk ‘n’ roll heroes Aztec Two-Step, contributes a memorable vocal to “Don’t Turn Around”another song about embracing the present and future and not dwelling in the past. Romance is a significant part of this song cycle, especially in the two guest appearances by stage, screen, and recording star Annie Golden, who shares the vocal on “Still Need You Near” (a highlight) and adds a haunting, operatic refrain to “Girl With the Auburn Hair.”

“Get Back” is a sharp reggae number about returning to one’s core values. “Late Summer Skies” is one of the most evocative accounts of that catch-in-the-throat time of year that you’re likely to hear, riding lush waves of insects, ocean, and wind.

Put on this beautifully textured collection of songs after a long day—accompanied, perhaps, by “a smoke and a glass of red wine”—“get lost in the music like leaves in the wind” and “know everything will be fine,” as the beautiful concluding song suggests.

“Move On” is a richly rewarding CD to which you’ll look forward to returning.