When
Tamar Korn and Kyle Morgan blend their gorgeous voices, something very special, even magical, happens. Their exciting new album of acoustic duets, Darkening Green, drops on August 15 from Jalopy Records. The first single from it, "Life's Railway to Heaven," will be released on May 15. Wide Open Country is extremely proud to premiere it here.Videos by Wide Open Country
These two ruminative, cerebral, talented artists love sharing the music that moves them deeply. Making the album - Korn and Morgan's debut as a duo - and recording this particular song definitively prove that. Their joy and passion for what they do is nearly palpable.
'Life's Railway To Heaven' Has A Truly Remarkable History
The track has a highly distinguished and fascinating background. It dates all the way back to the late 1800s, when Charles Davis Tillman wrote music for a hymn by M.E. Abbey, a Baptist preacher. The result was later covered by a slew of famous, fabulous vocalists, including Johnny Cash, the Oak Ridge Boys, Brad Paisley, Merle Haggard, the Carter family, and Tennessee Ernie Ford, to name a few.
But it was the inimitable Patsy Cline's version that caught the attention of Tamar Korn. It seemed like the ideal vehicle for her and Morgan's collab. Their voices complement each other naturally and perfectly; it's almost as if they were destined to sing together and had been doing it for ages.
Why The Song Appealed To Them
In separate interviews with Wide Open Country, they explained why the song clicked with them. Korn said, "I was drawn to it because it's a song about life, not just romantic love. I feel an affinity toward songs that are about people in general, human beings getting along in life and the natural world and all those larger relationships, not just the romantic stuff. 'Life's Railway' was about navigating life. Of course, it's a gospel tune...Kyle comes from a background where he sang a lot of church music and it's really nice to sing a gospel song with him. It's just a fun song to sing."
For his part, Morgan said, "We were looking for songs that lent themselves to harmony. We tried singing it and we found that our voices really fit well and we were able to come up with a really pleasing arrangement. There is that sense of the church in it, so that's very familiar to me."
Morgan And Korn Recall How Music Influenced Them Early On
Both of these vocalists were exposed to music early on and instinctively gravitated to it, beginning in their youth. Morgan cites his "lifelong" interest in it. "I grew up in a very musical family. All my siblings sang and played instruments. I grew up going to church, so there was a lot of singing there as well." The church Morgan attended had an exceptional worship director named Geoff Twigg, who was also a British musician supportive of Morgan's songwriting. Morgan's mom was also a songwriter, so this skill was in his blood.
When asked about his other musical influences, Morgan named an eclectic group that includes Tom Waits, Lou Reed, the Carter family, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Radiohead, and the Louvin Brothers, "especially in relation to the music that Tamar and I make."
Korn said, "Music was always a big part of my upbringing. My dad was very much my fundamental musical influence as a classical violinist. He was very meticulous and had a great ear. We also sang as a family."
What Morgan And Korn Would Like Listeners' Takeaway To Be After Hearing Their New Album
They have pretty well-defined ideas about the impression they want people to retain after hearing Darkening Green. Morgan said, "I'm excited for people to hear the project that Tamar and I have been working on for the past seven years or so. It's really only been in small clubs in Brooklyn mostly we've gotten to share it. With the help of Jalopy Records, a lot more people are going to hear it."
He added, "Tamar and I have done our due diligence in our study of the great tradition of singing, in particular this tradition of duo singing and harmony singing. I'm excited for it to contribute to everything we love so much."
Korn said, "I would like it to be soothing to the heart. I think that's very needed. She hopes the album will be "supportive to the heart, sonically and lyrically." Hopefully, she feels it will provide "a moment of respite" from the unsettling, sometimes jarring cacophony of the world around us.
