★★★★★
A definite departure from his guitar-strumming debut, James Vincent McMorrow's sophomore album incorporates synths, mellow keyboards, buried drum taps and distant harp effects, making him sound more like Jhené Aiko, Blood Orange and British soul-pop artists Sampha and Jungle than any "singer/songwriter" we know. Often crooning just above a whisper - his falsetto is dreamy throughout - he's hard to think of as anything but a soul singer...
- nowtoronto.com
2014-03-27
★★★★★
James Vincent McMorrow's self-produced sophomore album Post Tropical sees the Irish musician leaving behind the traditional instrumentation of his debut for more atmospheric and rhythm-and-blues influenced song structures. Fans of his earlier work will recognize his Dublin-tinged falsetto and magnetic melodies, but what's most evident about Post Tropical is McMorrow's creativity and skill in the studio...
- filtermagazine.com
2014-03-14
★★★★★
Recorded in southern Texas, titled Post Tropical, and with a palm tree on the cover, you'd figure that this album would show you a little in the way of warmth. Indeed, overlooking the unlikely Calexico-led collaboration, when I first saw the album's title and its pastel cover art, I immediately feared a motley collection of mariachi-inspired riffs, soured by bad brass lines and ugly flamenco guitar. Thankfully, the album turned out to be nothing of the sort...
- www.popmatters.com
2014-03-10
★★★★★
James Vincent McMorrow made a bit of a name for himself with 2010's debut album, 'Early In The Morning'. Its brand of folksy balladry has been rather voguish (often irritatingly so) in recent times. But 'Post Tropical' represents a slightly surprising departure for the Irish singer, avoiding the tested formula of his inaugural effort...
- www.clashmusic.com
2014-02-04
★★★★★
?????????? There is distinct vulnerability in James Vincent McMorrow's voice on his latest release Post Tropical. It's a tone that casts a vision of remembrance, strained relationships and patience, and while these are vivid elements that stand out in the music, they cause parts of the record to blend together the way they are arranged. Completely written and produced by McMorrow, Post Tropical features multiple degrees of his ability as a musician and songwriter...
- www.glidemagazine.com
2014-01-30
★★★★★
There's a shot that crops up often in nature documentaries or early in the third act of movies that focus on a character's personal growth: An icicle slowly melts in tentative drips, or a cluster of pine needles covered in snow suddenly shakes off its crystalline burden. It's a shot that communicates things like "time has passed, slowly but surely" and "the character you're about to see has been through some deep contemplation...
- pitchfork.com
2014-01-21
★★★★★
The second album from James Vincent McMorrow sees the Irish music-maker dramatically broaden his musical horizons. The folk pop of his 2010 debut Early In The Morning has magically converted into something that more accurately represents McMorrow's own musical tastes, involving fewer guitars, RnB inklings and many, many more layers. McMorrow is clearly a fan of the full-bodied chorus...
- www.beat.com.au
2014-01-20
★★★★★
Whoa, bro. You ever listen to an album that transports you to an alternate reality? Like you just woke up in the middle of nowhere and didn't recognize anything or know anybody? And for some reason everything is hazy and the air smells like fish and pine? Just me? Maybe it's because JVM's new album sounds like how I imagine Alaska in the late summer (despite what the album title and artwork suggests). The reverb-ness makes me feel comfortably secluded...
- www.syffal.com
2014-01-17
★★★★★
Many musicians know that they're pigeonholed into certain genres, but it's often easier to embrace them than oppose them. "Beard rock" was a tag that stirred up James Vincent McMorrow , though, making him question the connotations and fashionability of his crimson facial hair. Even though his last album, Early in the Morning, was glazed in bluegrass machinery and gang vocal harmonies, the very essence of that hirsute faux-genre, the musician believed his songwriting exceeded those limitations...
- consequenceofsound.net
2014-01-16
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