“Wonder” - the newest album by internationally acclaimed American rock singer-songwriter (and long-time Paris resident) Elliott Murphy – is available now on all streaming platforms (Spotify, Deezer etc.) as well as a limited edition of CDs. “Wonder” marks Elliott’s first studio album of all new original songs since “Prodigal Son” (2017) and contains a truly inspired collection of 12 musically eclectic songs accompanied by that endangered breed of stylish lyrics (urban, poetic, personal, literary …) that have been associated with Murphy’s work for nearly 50 years.
“Wonder” was
primarily written during the forced period of introspection brought on by the
COVID confinement. It was produced by Elliott’s son Gaspard Murphy (a successful
producer in the French music world in his own right) in Paris at Question de
Son and Murmure Studios. The album features Elliott’s long time guitar virtuoso
musical partner Olivier Durand as well as Australian Melissa Cox (violin) and
Alan Fatras (drums) along with an impressive list of guest musicians and
singers.
Elliott, himself, takes
stock of where “Wonder” fits into his nearly half century career: “If my
early albums can be described as expressions of youthful energy, hope and
dreams, I would have to say that as I enter this later chapter of my career, as
evidenced in the songs on ‘Wonder,’ my words now tend to incorporate
buried memories that rise to the surface of my consciousness like once sunken
ships, crewed by musical references that even surprise me: Little Richard,
Robert Johnson, Tina Turner – even the iconic American TV talk show host Johnny
Carson. All these ghosts (and more) make appearances on ‘Wonder’ as well
as assorted pop cultural references that baffle me such as ‘My Own Private
Idaho,’ which, of course, was a B52s’ hit in the 1980s. But since a
troubadour’s job is to spread the news, you can even hear a mention of Better
Call Saul a favorite TV series of mine. Musically, you might say that these
days my inspiration is all over the map; although I’m still faithful to those
folk-rock sounds and chord progressions which shaped me at the time of my first
album ‘Aquashow’ (1973). I also think there’s an undeniable bit of
French chanson and even Steely Dan type jazz-rock on ‘Wonder.’
Rhythmically, I decided early on that I wanted a strong percussion element and
thus you’ll hear congas, maracas and a host of other percussion instruments
grounding the songs and giving cool flight to the lyrics. And with all the
Motown I listen to, it’s not surprising that ‘Something Consequential’ might
recall an almost Marvin Gaye-like romanticism of which he was truly the master
and I am, at best, his earnest student.”
As most of these songs
were born during the dark opening days of the COVID pandemic when confinement
became an enforced reality we had never before experienced, loneliness naturally
is a pervasive sub-theme of “Wonder,” reflected in various
manifestations not only in the titles of songs such as “Lonely” and “The Lonely
King.” Elliott uses “Loneliness as a kind of existential meteorologic metaphor
in “Raindrops” and “Hailstones,” referencing when the Corona virus seemed as
unstoppable as a hurricane.
Despite the life
challenges, Elliott’s approach to writing is still optimistic, “But inevitably
there is hope to be found in our fragile yet resilient human condition not only
in ‘Hope (In Your Eyes)’ but also in the afore-mentioned ‘Something
Consequential’ where romance springs eternal. ‘Sunlight Keeps Falling’ may be
the only fully pre pandemic song on the album as it was written as the theme
song for an as-yet unmade film about a beautiful girl who jumps from the Eiffel
Tower right into the arms of a guitar maker.
“So, as I sing in “A
Lack of Perspective” (perhaps my own favorite off “Wonder”), I’m going
back in time to find what I’m looking for… Thanks so much for accompanying me
on this musical journey!”
ELLIOTT MURPHY - WONDER
(MURPHYLAND ML0011CD)
1. Hope (In Your Eyes)
(Murphy)
2. Sunlight Keeps
Falling On Me (Murphy / Durand)
3. Bystanders (Murphy /
Durand)
4. That's The Scene
(Murphy)
5. Children of Children
(Murphy)
6. Raindrops (Murphy /
Murphy)
7. Something
Consequential (Murphy / Durand)
8. Lack of Perspective
(Murphy)
9. Lonely (Murphy /
Durand)
10. Hailstones (Murphy)
11. Lonely King
(Murphy)
12. I Know There's A
Place (Murphy)
