Leading up to the release of his latest offering of music, called BEACON, MORGXN felt a burst of creativity. With over 100 songs written, this talented pop artist began pairing them down, to the ten most powerful and meaningful songs found here, with the help of producer Marshall Altman. MORGXN explained, “This album is a journey, and a reminder that we’re always on that journey. Where I’m at might be the end, but it’s actually the beginning.” This Nashville-based artist has transcended genre lines and has toured with noteworthy bands like X Ambassadors, Skylar Grey, and Smallpools, all of which he’s learned something along the way that he can put back into his own music. BEACON is a remarkable achievement of creativity that showcases MORGXN’s dedication to his craft.
MORGXN takes the “journey” to heart on the title track that opens the LP, as he opens with “Where do we begin?” before exploding into a chorus meant for a bigger purpose, as he sings, “Sometimes we’re the boat, sometimes we’re the beacon.” “Backbone (It’s Not Over)” follows the lofty opener with a synth-driven beat and reminds me of the pop flair of Adam Lambert paired with the songwriting sensibilities of The Fray. What this artist does particularly well on songs like this is to make each note count, picks his spots for when to go into his higher vocal register, and paces himself appropriately in the delivery.
”Young & In Love” is a piano-laced mid-tempo track about the bliss of falling in and out of love, while still keeping the true heading of where to take his music next. “What We Could Be” is a tender ballad that features some backing vocals from a female singer who harmonizes gorgeously with MORGXN over the instruments.
”Modern Man” features a disco-type beat and mix that initially reminded me of The Bee Gees paired with The Killers. MORGXN switches from a croon to a falsetto with veteran ease as he commands the track from start to finish. “My Revival” features some gospel-esque moments to the song, and ended up being one of my favorite moments in the set. Whereas, lead single “To Be Human” paces itself brilliantly in the verses before leading to the meaningful chorus of, “It’s so hard to be human / Solo on a tightrope hanging / On a high note / Even somebody who’s got everything knows that / Falling apart is just part of the dream / So don’t wake me up until all of the winners are losing it’s / So hard to be human.” It’s a remarkable achievement in pop music to put your whole heart into a song and it ends up paying off big time.
The final three songs never lose the early momentum gained, with “Fading” using the backing orchestra to tell his story, “Getting Older in a Modern Time” explaining his current state of mind as the world around us crumbles, and “Where I’m From” closing out this gorgeous chapter in MORGXN’s musical journey with a steady beat and a sensitive side to the lyrics to make him as relatable as anyone else. BEACON marks an important next step in the right direction for this MORGXN’s development, and he truly is on the cusp of making himself a much more popular artist with this album, and he completely deserves it.