5 Songs I Love w/ Tom Moriarty

Following the release of his latest album 'Chapters', Flex caught up with British singer-songwriter Tom Moriarty to discover what influences his folk-rock style. If you enjoy Tom's picks, be sure to check out 'Chapters' at the end of the article.

1. Bruce Springsteen, Meeting Across the River

I was 17 when I first listened to Springsteen’s album Born To Run.  I had to be one of the best albums ever made.  People will know the track “Born To Run” however this was from a time when people didn’t know every single on an album before it was released.  For me, I had not heard any of the other tracks and I will not forget sitting there listening to the whole album.  It is incredible from start to finish, the songs, the stories, the production changes.  With Meeting Across the River I think it is one of the most beautiful songs Springsteen has ever written and there is sophistication in terms of the chord changes through the song.  It’s beautiful.  His vocal take is so pure and authentic.  He once said he thought he was a better singer but I’m so glad is the singer he is.  It is so real and raw.  He has always been an inspiration for me as a musician, songwriter and singer.  Listening to this now just inspires me even more.  The vocal performance just reminds again that communication and emotion is more important that pitching the note exactly right each time.   I’m so glad this was before auto-tune.  The arrangement of just piano and a kind of jazz trumpet accompaniment is so evocative of time and place.  You’re just so included in this song.  Every singer should listen to this song. 

2. Stevie Wonder, Boogie on Reggae Woman

Driving across Europe in a Beetle can be hard work.  You’ve got no power and you’re driving through mountains a lot of the time.  I lived in Germany once on the German Austrian border and most weekends I would flip a coin and drive somewhere.  A lot of the time I would end up going South and that involved crossing the Alps.  Going up a mountain road in a Beetle means a top speed of 30 mph in second gear.  Going downhill you just scare the hell out of people because you don’t break, EVER, and people are not used to seeing a Beetle overtaking them at 80mph because you’re freewheeling.   If they had had the window open as I went passed they would have heard Stevie Wonder blaring out of the window.  I had with me at that time a copy of Stevie Wonder’s album Aquarium which is a collection of some of his greatest songs.  That album accompanied me on those trips through the mountains and no matter how stressful or tired you are you put this track on and you’re gonna be lifted.  It’s got one of the best grooves of any record, this super funky electric bass synth and drum pattern and then such a cool piano part.  It’s all really close production, like you’re there and then there’s Stevie singing.  For me, it’s one of his best tracks even though there’s so many. 

3. Tedeschi Trucks Band, Anyhow

Tedeschi Trucks is one of those bands you’re surprised you hadn’t listened to before.  I remember the first time I listened to these guys a few years ago and wondering where they’d been however I guess that said more about my life at the time.  I guess about forming around 2011 they started becoming more internationally known a few years later.  Around that time in 2014 I had an accident and it took a year to recover.  It was a kind of hell I can’t really talk about.  I had been living in London but I got the hell out of there and moved to the mountains in France.  I released my next album “The Road” in 2015 and after that I guess I had more time to listen to music.  That’s when I discovered Tedeschi Trucks.  I love their music, the mix of southern rock, blues and soul.  Susan Tedeschi has such a great voice and Derek Trucks is an awesome guitarist.  He’s well known for his incredible slide guitar playing.  There’s a famous clip of him playing a solo at a BB King concert and BB famously turning around and saying “Play that again!”.  It’s the combination of her voice, his playing, a great band of seriously talented musicians and backing singers and great songwriting that is behind their success.  I mean just listen to her vocal on this track live in the studio.  This is good authentic organic southern rock and soul music. 

4. Black Pumas, Colors

Man this is such a good track.  I heard this track somewhere a few years ago.  The band is basically two guys, the singer, Eric Burton and guitarist and producer Adrian Quesada.  They met after Burton left California and moved to Austin, Texas.  I love the production on this song.  It’s got a vintage feel to it and there’s so much space.  You know it’s an incredibly well produced track but it’s got a feel of not being over produced, a kind of looseness about it.  It’s not easy to do.  It’s the kind of production I’d like on a future album.  I’m working on an album at the moment which is more of a blues soul album called Riptide.  The influences are the blues guys you’d expect, BB King, Steve Ray Vaughn and Clapton but this time I’m adding in the influences of Sly and Family Stone and Curtis Mayfield.  So I’m really looking forward to making that album and am thinking about how to produce it.  I’ve played a few songs from that album in recent concerts and people always come up to me after the gig and ask me when Riptide is being released.  I guess I should talk to Adrian.  

5. Sly and Family Stone, Hot Fun in the Summertime

You just have to listen to this song.  I mean I’ve known about Sly & Family Stone for years, who hasn’t.  Their songs are part of the soundtrack of life.  People are going to know some of their songs even if they don’t know it’s them.  I love this one.  I saw the video of this live performance before I heard the original recording.  I love the live version.  It’s got so much feel, so much soul, it’s so real.  One of the moments that stands out for me is Rose Stone singing.  Check it out at 27 seconds in.  Boom!  She just launches into that, the power of it.  Wow.  There’s an extra little special moment at 36 seconds when the camera is on a kid in the studio singing along.  You might have seen it already on Instagram.  The reaction is timeless.  Then Rose comes in again at 1.30 min.  I love the crowd reaction to her, really feeling the vibe.  Sly Stone was a genius.  Just check out the brass arrangement in this track.  You hear it across all their material.  It’s complex but simple.  In some of the other songs there’s changes in time signatures, key shifts, really interesting chord progressions, great string arrangements and instrumentation.  And don’t forget playing bass was one Larry Graham, the Larry Graham.  I’ve been listening through the catalogue recently.  Take some time and check it out.  

Listen to Tom Moriarty - Chapters

Instagram / YouTube