Tom Moriarty - Fire in the Doll's House

by Spencer Robertshaw

published: 1 / 12 / 2011

Label: Driftwood
Format: CD

Compelling debut album from thoughtful London-based singer-songwriter Tom Moriarty, who recorded this album after fifteen years working in the City

Review

Tom Moriarty has had music in his veins since he was a child, and as a boy he played in front of both the Queen and the top brass in government. This album has been a long time coming, but in many ways it could not of happened earlier, because within the lyrics there is some very clever prose, and the sort of thoughts that come from someone who has had the time to look in depth at this planet’s put ups and let downs and and to stand back so as to be able to comment sage-like on the world. Tom had a ‘normal’ working life in the City for 15 years which he took up so that he could help and care for his poorly mum and sibling brother, but finally a chance came up to make the music he so much loved and had been storing in his mental vaults for many years. Tom's voice is fantastic. It has a light, throaty tone which goes up and down the scales in a laid back manner and a magnetic rasp, which is very cool indeed and you can easily listen to forever. It draws you in to the excellent tracks which Tom has written himself and puts you at ease bringing his lyrics to life beautifully. The album can be taken two ways, either as a very pleasant session that takes you away for an hour or so or if you analyse the lyrics or as a more harder-hitting piece with thoughts on politics, love, existence and the roads we take on our own particular journeys through life. Each track is a substantial statement in itself and the lyrics match any great songwriter we’ve had. I associate his approach with Sting,although Tom's music is more up tempo and funky, as some of the instrumentation on certain tracks has the same light but large touch. We have an element of folk and blues elsewhere as well with Tom's voice fitting perfectly in the mix. The lyrics are never self-indulgent and the guitar work is as precise and clean-sounding as everything else. There are backing singers on tracks such as ‘Life's a Mystery’ and the anthemic ‘All You Need’ which has a happy gospel approach. The funky country-influenced ‘Stay With Me Tonight’ makes excellent use of the banjo and harmonica and could be compared to Neil Young or Bob Dylan. Every single arrangement is good enough to get one excited in preparation for the next track. You go from tempo to tempo, from style to style with the spell being immediately cast from the opening title track. Tom Moriarty is here and has got his timing absolutely perfect in making us wait so long for this thoughtful debut album.

Track Listing:-

1 Fire in the Doll's House
2 Dance With Me
3 Smile If You Wanna Get High
4 Don't Ask Why
5 Where Are You Now
6 From Now On
7 Life's a Mystery
8 Sundancer
9 Stay With Me Tonight
10 All You Need
11 Kitty