9MARY | Fear No More EP

David D. Robbins Jr. | Their Bated Breath
9Mary “Fear No More” EP

So far we’ve mostly come to know 9Mary’s Flo Morrissey for the range of stunning covers she’s posted online, from her subtle versions of Tuxedomoon’s “In a Manner of Speaking” and Morrissey’s “Irish Blood, English Heart”, to her invigorating re-working of Sean Lennon’s “Dead Meat”. Now she has a debut six-song EP, “Fear No More”, a record that takes all her previous folk beauty and expands it into soft and lush rhythms, stirring musical honesty, and deliciously understated melodies. “Fear No More” is the blossoming of an artist, whose elegance seems bred in the bone. You can hear it in her high-pitched annunciations, the blood-red sincerity of her lyricism, and the earnestness of her approach. This is an album that respects music to the core, doing what all good music does: dig deep into the self and give substance to feeling.

9MARY | In a Manner of Speaking (Cover)

Sometimes less really is more. 9Mary’s Flo Morrissey posted a new song, an extraordinarily pretty cover of Tuxedomoon’s “In a Manner of Speaking”, on her soundcloud page. It’s a song about love, and the difficulty of putting feeling to words. The original track begins with guitar and whistling sounds, but 9Mary’s version is stripped down to the pairing of her haunting vocal incantations with acoustic guitar. She says it’s more in the style of Nouvelle Vague’s bossa nova version than the original. 9Mary has always had a beautiful way of gliding through verses on her covers, from “Lovin’s For Fools” to “Heard Somebody Say”, to her majestic cover of Morrissey’s “Irish Blood, English Heart”. But it’s especially evident on this newest cut. Her phrasing leaves vapor trails, as verses like “Oh, give me the words / Give me the words / That tell me nothing …” are spirited with a tangible, misty passion. But don’t take my word for it. Just listen to how 9Mary sings the verse “… that tell me everything” at the 2:27 mark like someone bleeding at the heart. She finishes the song with an elegant bit of scatting. It’s marvelously intimate. Enough to make you fall in love and feel its heartbreak. Her rendition is a reminder just how wonderful it is to listen to a cover that couples the beauty of the voice with the charm of real feeling. The combination is aesthetically lethal and leaves you breathless. You can listen to more of her music at soundcloud or follow her at twitter here. – David D. Robbins Jr.

9Mary | Dead Meat (Sean Lennon Cover)

Flo Morrissey (aka 9mary) covers a Sean Lennon cut called “Dead Meat” from off his 2006 relationship record, “Friendly Fire”. With only an acoustic guitar in hand, Morrissey’s vocals give the song a little more edge. Really beautiful cover. – David D. Robbins Jr.

9MARY | ‘Blow Out’ Video

This is a really pretty demo track from London’s 9Mary (aka Flo Morissey). Now she has a stellar video for “Blow Out”, with her brother Fritz singing backup on the track. Currently, she is unsigned to any record label. (Um, come on folks. Do we need to put up a big sign with an arrow, pointing here, and saying, “Sign her. Quickly”?) Video was created by photographer Cat Stevens near St. Dunstan’s church. Flo has a few other demos you can hear at her MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/flomorrissey – David D. Robbins Jr.