Shiny Old Soul

While Shiny Old Soul is relatively new, the core trio of Gregory Morris (vocals, guitar), Katherine Monnig (percussion) and Michael Sadoff (bass) has been performing together for seven years, mostly as The Gregory Morris Group. While they changed the band name after the departure of original member Jay Ensminger, GMG fans will instantly fall in love with Shiny Old Soul.

That’s because one of GMG’s strongest assets — an almost telepathic, harmonious connection between the musicians that is so evident it’s palpable — carries over to the “new” crew. Shiny Old Soul makes a magical noise on Cash Is King, with a Folk/Rock base creating the river on which the sounds flow, natural and breezy. It’s wildly organic and stream-of-conscious-esque (thanks partly to the unfussy, crisp production of Jeff Roberson), hypnotic yet consistently (at least in tone) upbeat and buoyant, with a celebratory sound that may be the result of the band’s spiritual connection to New Orleans (where they’ve had adventures in busking in the past). They lay out the good vibes on their “theme song” (my designation, not theirs) “SOS” with the line “Each of us possesses a shiny old soul.” (Oh, and the “cosmic” part of the band’s self-description becomes clear in lyrics like the ones from “Shimmer” and its trippy refrain “Rooftop, boombox, U.F.O.,” as well as scattered pot and wine references.)

Driven by Morris’ jazzy acoustic guitar wizardry, you’ll hear elements of atypical folkies like Cat Stevens, Tim Buckley and Neil Young in the grooves, while the transcendent multi-part harmonies are the icing on the Cosmic Roots cake.
The communal spirit of Shiny Old Soul’s music is so infectious, you may end up asking if you can join the band and run away with their gypsy caravan by the end of their set Friday night. Just be sure you don’t have an aversion to New Orleans. - Mike Breen - Cincinnati City Beat