Kyle Morgan & Tamar Korn – Darkening Green
This 10-song set of acoustic duets is pristine-sounding. I can’t help seeing a shadow of a tone in their voices similar to the Everly Brothers. Of course, this Brooklyn, NY duo of Tamar Korn (vocals/tenor guitar), & Kyle Morgan (vocals/guitar) is far more rural & traditional. They take their artistry from places far from Brooklyn. My memory goes back to the Everlys that recorded similar songs in 1969 on their “Roots” album for Warner Brothers (“Milk Train”) when they were more folky, traditional & not pop oriented.
Their voices are perfectly suited for the material they’ve chosen for Darkening Green (Dropped August 15/Jalopy Records), produced & recorded by Ryan Dieringer. The tunes were arranged by Kyle Morgan, Tamar Korn, and Wyndham Baird (vocals/harmonica/piano/mandolin/percussion).
Drawing on songs written and/or performed by Leonard Cohen, the Carter Family, Gillian Welch, & David Rawlings. Iris Dement, & yes, the Everly Brothers. Despite many country-oriented artists, they’ve drawn upon their conveyance is purely rural/homegrown & rustic. More at home on a back porch than on a big stage.
“I’ve Had My Fun” & “Everything Is Free” are both quite accessible & catchy. A good starting point for the unfamiliar. Even their cover of The Platters’ 1959 classic “The Great Pretender” is gratifying in this new frame. Spare instrumentation by bassist Jared Engel is just enough, along with a sentimental harmonica – ingenious & simple. Human voices are the focus. They, too, are instruments that interplay, that blend & add soundscapes.
There’s a Stephen Foster-type of atmosphere that floats between their notes. Age-old but not vintage. As if found in a dusty attic, but protected inside a big wooden trunk. Some songs are weathered tunes withered from decades of being sung & played. Yet, in the hands of Kyle Morgan & Tamar Korn, they’re rejuvenated. Given new life & making them accessible to far younger ears. They’re songs that the ear has heard & the mind remembers.
“Late September” has a pleasant Leon Redbone-type music hall melody sung with all the sincerity of a bygone era. Sung with the whipped-up harmonic vibrancy of The Roches. Nice.
This is a kickback LP. It’s music for music’s sake. A listening album on a warm summer’s day, a glass of wine & a straw hat drawn across your eyes while your toes beat to the time. With “Early Morning Light,” there’s a slight throwback to a 1971 Dory Previn tune, “Lemon Haired Ladies.” Equally compelling. The 2 songs mix like hot fudge & vanilla ice cream. This is an exceptional little album conceived & performed with care.
Highlights – “Life’s a Railway to Heaven,” “The Winding Stream,” “I’ve Had My Fun,” “The Great Pretender,” “Anthem,” “Everything Is Free,” “Late September,” & “Early Morning Light.”
CD cover image courtesy of Eli Smith. CD @ Amazon + https://kylemorganandtamarkorn.bandcamp.com/album/darkening-green
Song Premiere – https://americanahighways.org/2025/08/11/song-premiere-kyle-morgan-and-tamar-korn-late-september/