Todd Warner Moore “Love & Change” Album Release

05/23/2019

Another new album from Todd Warner Moore, I reviewed his “Spark” album last year and loved it, so I was surprised to get another release from him so soon.

But Moore is a prolific and gifted songwriter with many stories to tell and I’m very glad he is putting more new music out into the world.

Based in Hong Kong, Moore manages to infuse his music with classic American Folk. Perhaps because he is so far away he finds the deep essence of the music he loves and leaves the noise and the clutter behind. What we are lucky enough to get is a pure and profound record with honest, authentic sounds full of longing and life.

Like his previous release, “Love & Change” is bursting with melody and timeless instrumentation. I hear The Water Boys and Loudon Wainwright III, and there’s a sophistication and a wonderful humor to the songs. Lovely vocal harmonies abound and the strumming guitars glisten and glow, sometimes speeding through Moore’s every thought, sometimes fittingly meandering.

His music can be political and highly relevant but it’s all softly told, nothing too heavy. It’s more parables than marching songs, which is perfect for his style. It’s a subtle message, poetic and lovingly told, no matter the message.

Each song feels like a snapshot of his life – a memory, a wish or a dream. He has assembled a masterful group of musicians who seem to sway along beautifully with every track. I would love to see them all perform live, the stage packed full of excellent musicians pouring themselves into his wonderful songs…brilliant.

I loved this album, as I did the one before. It’s full of soulful, hopeful and powerfully played songs of fearlessness and a life well lived. Thirteen songs, a massive record these days, each song as glorious as the last, about his life, about his Hong Kong island, the ocean, the people, the love all around him.