KEVIN MORBY

WHAT is Americana, exactly? Since its birth in the margins of Nashville, and in off-lying corners of the American South and Midwest, it’s become a vast, amorphous catch-all for American music that is vaguely rootsy, twangy and aware of tradition, but that does not purport to be country or blues. Today, in America at least, it’s swelled beyond a discernible sound or identity, making way for legions of imitators in brimmed hats and put-on Southern accents – working-class cosplay in search of a record deal on Music Row.

There is plenty of great music being crafted under its banner, to be sure, but its sprawling and watered-down status also begs for a reappraisal. Kevin Morby seems acutely aware of this as he edges steadily toward a new sound of tradition. With his latest, This Is A Photograph, he interrogates the people and places that comprise the Middle American region celebrated by Americana while also opening the door for a more nuanced, creative and inclusive future for the genre. He ditches its tropes for an aesthetic that combines the tortured soul of Memphis and the vastness of the Great Plains, tracing an arc from Americana’s mix of blues, rock and country, and the people of colour who pioneered those sounds.

It comes on the heels of a winding journey. Born in Texas and raised in Kansas, throughout his 34 years Morby has trodden a familiar path for those born outside of America’s cultural capitals. After high school, he moved to Brooklyn to see if it matched the movies, becoming a modern garage-rock hipster and friend to everyone cool. Then, to LA, where his sound became earthier, more bohemian and twangy, an indie-rock guy through the haze of Bakersfield and Laurel Canyon. And finally, the