RON MORRIS: Boyfriend And Other Sides Of Love

Ron Morris

Boyfriend And Other Sides Of Love

© 2007 Ron Morris (842841070343)

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".think Ben Folds Five with an acoustic guitar and a country/folkish undercurrent." Ian Allen, Encore Magazine

notes

Known for his intimate storytelling and infectious melodies, Ron Morris creates music that speaks to the heart. Spinning his unique brand of folk/pop, Ron’s characteristically unique voice and catchy hooks take his audience on a journey that lifts the spirit and touches the soul. “His lyrics and melodies intertwine seamlessly, creating a ‘songwriting landscape’ that is both beautiful and rocky (literally and figuratively).” says Ken Kleiber of That’s Kentertainment.

Born in Jacksonville, FL and raised in a household where country music reigned, Ron learned early on his first lesson in songwriting: “keep it simple and with the story first.” In 1995, with the gift of an old guitar from his parents and book of a 1,000 chords, he hit the road and began teaching himself how to play. His adventures took him across the U.S. gathering stories and growing up. In 1997 he moved to NYC and began turning his stories into songs and singing them wherever he could find space: bars, clubs, coffee shops, theaters, subway stations, and living rooms. After selling home demos of his songs for a number of years and building a strong local following, Ron released his first studio CD in 2005, Speak True, on the Roadworm Music label. "Speak True" garnered critical acclaim and was featured on National Public Radio’s (NPR) “This Way Out”, Sirius Satellite Radio, and numerous local and regional radio programs.

Ron returned to the studio in 2007 to record two new projects. “Boyfriend and other sides of love”, the first release, is an 8 song EP that includes four new tunes that take a look at a few of love's many faces, as well as four remixes of the first single, "Boyfriend", a folked-up fifties-feel flashback to new love. The second project, “Truth Stained Lies”, a new full length album, will be released in late Spring 2008 and will feature eleven new songs. These projects bring him out of hibernation in the Roadworm Studio and onto the touring circuit.

Ron is an artist who is true to himself, his music, and his audience. As soft as he is strong, wise as he is naïve, Ron Morris offers a fresh point of view and signature sound that is uplifting, honest, and leaves the listener feeling as if they’ve just been let in on a really good secret.

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  • Ron Morris: "Boyfriend and Other Sides of Love"
    author: jed ryan

    Ron Morris: "BOYFRIEND AND OTHER SIDES OF LOVE" After creating a highly enduring debut album of original material back in 2005 named "Speak True", singer/songwriter Ron Morris has earned the right to experiment a bit. "Boyfriend and Other Sides of Love", Morris' new EP, is somewhat of an experiment in a couple of ways. Self-classified as a pop/rock/folk artist, Morris tests the water in other genres on this CD, via four dance remixes of the disc's emblematic song "Boyfriend". In addition, but he also boldly re-works two songs which have been made famous by other artists. What thankfully remains the same throughout Morris' work is his most distinctive (and arguably, his best) characteristic: his voice. His voice is thoughtful, sensitive, and far more rich in emotion than you may expect from such an imposing guy with such a strong presence... and with a few exceptions (He does some tricks with the vocoder later on in the EP), that voice is always in the forefront of his music. Sound-wise, his antecedents include Jim Croce and James Taylor. "Boyfriend", the first track, offers a new, unambiguously gay twist on the 1963 classic "My Boyfriend's Back" by The Angels, even throwing in a "Hey la, hey la!" as something of an homage to the heavy-on-the-fluff, "girls group" original. "Masterpiece of Why" continues with Ron's unique shade of soul: "I can't stop staring at your window, every time that I go by; I can't stop staring at your window, praying for a glimpse inside... I can't stop staring at your window, reflections of my selfish side; I can't stop staring at your window, getting lost in this 'masterpiece of why'..." Next up is Morris' take on the traditional American song "Frankie and Johnny". Redone and reinterpreted many, many times in its history, the song was indisputably made most famous by Mae West, the lady largely credited with bringing s-e-x to the movie screen. West sang the song in her 1933 film, "She Done Him Wrong", and performed it as one of her signature songs throughout her long career. The gender-bending revision in Ron's version is that the formerly female "Frankie" of the song's title is now-- presto homo!-- a man, making the song another story about man-to-man affections, albeit at the opposite end of the spectrum of the puppy love feelings expressed in "Boyfriend". Aside from the pronoun changes and a few updated lyrics (Interestingly, Morris turns the unsympathetic character "Nelly Bly" into a male too.), the song is nicely faithful to the original. Morris' version is guitar-driven country rock, just intense enough to almost rival Ron's voice for attention, and it features some zesty background vocals. Mae West, a gay icon and one of America's first advocates for gay equality, would cheer... and just in case you don't know the story of "Frankie & Johnny", let's just say that the climax is in the vein of Cher's "Dark Lady". Speaking of Cher, Morris also reworks the ageless diva's "We All Sleep Alone", opting for a stark, stripped-down performance. With only his voice and guitar, the result is a stark, hard-hitting interpretation which is more faithful to the song's lyrics and original message than the more popularized versions we've heard. And, again, it's a great showcase of Ron's voice. "Boyfriends and Other Sides of Love" concludes with three distinct remixes of "Boyfriend". The Freeman's Classic But a Keeper Mix is pure electronica, featuring elastic rhythms, '80's-style pop hooks, and Ron's voice getting treatment with the vocoder. The other two remixes experiment with Ron's vocals (both unadorned and electronically manipulated) set to a house/techno/club beat. Despite the brevity of Morris' sophomore creation, the artist does indeed pack a wide range of emotions into the eight-track "Boyfriend and Other Sides of Love", from devotion ("Boyfriend"), to self-chastising doubt ("Masterpiece of Why") and loneliness ("We All Sleep Alone"), to the downright crazy side of l-o-v-e ("Frankie & Johnny"). To take some poetic license of my own with Ron Morris' lyrics, this CD is a classic AND a keeper! Jed Ryan, PM Entertainment Magazine Winner, Reviewer of the Year, Stonewall Society 2005 Pride in the Arts Awards

  • Great job-Part 2
    author: MikeOfGermany

    Listen to BOYFRIEND and to WE ALL SLEEP ALONE and you can't wait until his next CD and songs will be able to buy ! If you are in a dancing mood you can enjoy the mixes too - also a great job :o) !!! Thank you !

  • Great job Ron
    author: Jerry G. Jones

    You have a great collection of songs here Ron. Keep up the great work. I really like the "Boyfriend" mixes.

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