Kevin Morby has lessons to share that are intertwined within the memories of the Midwest landscape. He gives an ode to the rooted foundations between the passing miles on tour. It’s what tethers the world-building that builds Little Wide Open, revealing the inner workings of a folk-rock singer-songwriter who continues to work through the shifting times of his own life. Utilizing an earned collaboration with Aaron Dessner, the record takes on an even fuller shape, balanced and reflective in its most patient moments.

“Badlands” opens Little Wide Open with the duality of Morby’s homeland. Based in Kansas City, Morby takes a phrase we hear often and gives it a perspective that’s lived in. “Heaven is a place on earth,” but in his hands it belongs to the imperfect space of where he grew up, a double-edged sword that still holds beauty. Justin Vernon enters fittingly, like an airy thread through a brewing storm. “Die Young” and “Javelin” follow with a harmonious full band that gives weight to a celebratory outlook.

With “Natural Disaster” and “100,000,” the earthen concepts keep going. Morby is an observer of the accelerating forces, being on the road or staying home close to friends and family. The imagination gives way for more complexity from there on. By singing about time as a violent driver in “All Sinners” and “I Ride Passenger,” he still remains grounded. The instrumental arrangement carries a simplistic base and variety at its heights with the thematic storytelling imprinted throughout Little Wide Open.

The transitions of the record are at the forefront. Some collaborators tie the project of Kevin Morby’s vision together. In “Little Wide Open” and “Dandelion,” Katie Gavin’s background vocals alongside fiddle and occasional pedal steel harness a lightness. Earlier, Lucinda Williams provides a respected vocal feature and Meg Duffy lays down underlining guitar work. The images of “Cowtown” and “Bible Belt” hold onto a somber essence while “Junebug” brings in a harp from Tom Moth, adding a colorful dimension to the lens Morby sees through.

Anchored in the Midwest, these places are at the heart of who Morby is. The record doesn’t let you forget where it comes from. “Field Guide For The Butterflies” closes it out as a new era folds, with Amelia Meath adding vocals that carry the exact familiar spirit forward. Little Wide Open doesn’t rush. Like Morby, it contemplates the seasons rolling by.

Order Little Wide Open by Kevin Morby HERE