Review: Kevin Morby – Little Wide Open

Kevin Morby
Little Wide Open
Dead Oceans
Street: 05.15.2026
Kevin Morby = Townes Van Zandt + Neil Young + Justin Townes Earl

Kevin Morby feels like Neil Young, if Neil Young was mixed with Townes Van Zandt, Nick Drake and a little bit of regional brilliance of Sufjan Stevens. Morby is Americana like John Mellencamp‘s “Jack And Diane:” “Sucking on chili dog, outside the Tastee Freeze,” Bruce Springsteen “Badlands” / Nebraska, or Desire-era Bob Dylan stirred into the mix.

So many comparisons, but the comparisons are unnecessary. Kevin Morby is brilliant without attaching legacy artists and “sounds like” or, “reminds me of” bullshit. Morby is on his own path and he’s been driving down that path for a while now. On his new, iconic album Little Wide Open Morby delivers an American classic that deserves its own space in the great American songbook.

On Little Wide Open Morby explores the innocence, yearnings and the bittersweet realities of growing up and living in the Midwestern heartland. Morby sings about lost highways, violent drivers, passengers, javelins, June bugs, dandelions and butterflies. “To being everywhere at once, over and over.” Morby sings on the title track in a sad melancholic whisper. “Time, were not enemies, though it’d seem / Time, we share the same dream / To stretch on forever, toward eternity.” Morby has a theme on this record of transcendence and wandering slowly into a higher, quiet consciousness.

“How long’s forever babe? / is it just one day?” Morby asks on the standout “Javelin.” “The day we go in, then we escape / And I a has-been, Am I a husband? / Could this be our life, babe? / Could you be my wife when.” The song is a summer flower with soaring choruses and backing harmonies from Amelia Meath (of Sylvan Esso and Mountain Man). “To be alone in the middle of middle America / When the sun moves behind the moon and the earth goes black / Mama its like that.” The song is buttercream icing on a chocolate cake. “Don’t be concerned babe, at least not yet / I’m still happy to be breathing in.”

It’s impossible to write a review for this record without getting caught up in the breathtaking, eloquent splendor of Morby’s lyrics. They take you away like a slow-moving current, that if you choose to step in, will float you into forever. “Cause the lowlands will flood.” Morby sings on “Natural Disaster,” “The desserts will dry up / The hills will landslide, volcanoes will erupt / And you will fall in love.” The song ends with a hollow, tin sounding Jerry Garcia guitar run. “Songs on the Stratocaster / Our prayers stuck up in the rafters / Our epilogues after our chapters.”

“And if time plays tiny violins, then we play symphonies / Through the centuries.” On the track “All Sinners” Morby croons: “And if time is a violent driver, then we ride passenger / Yeah we ride by its side / Yeah, we ride or die / We Bonnie and Clyde.”
Little Wide Open is a road album, constantly pushing forward. It’s also a sit on the porch in your back yard and stay in place kind of record. Like slowly feeling gravity release and floating comfortably into nothing.

Some records sneak up on you and catch you when you least expect it, like a ghost. Some records flood all over you and drown you with its weight. Kevin Morby’s Little Wide Open has a little bit of both. It will pleasantly haunt you and swallow you up with all its open spaces. “And if cats they got nine lives / And all dogs have their day / Then may all sinners be forgiven by Jesus Christ / Cause it’d sure be nice to see all my friends again in / Our private heaven / Our private Idaho / Our private Oklahoma / O-H-I-O.” —Russ Holsten

Read more music reviews from Russ Holsten:
Review: Flea — Honora
Review: Mitski — Nothing’s About to Happen to Me

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