Gurf Morlix

Known primarily as a producer (Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen, Ray Wylie Hubbard), singer-songwriter Gurf Morlix has quietly released three credible solo efforts but didn't really discover his mojo until Diamonds to Dust, his newest effort. Filled with sharp, twisted lyrics and primal grooves, Diamonds is a treasure trove for fans of Steve Earle and Tom Waits. "Killing Time in Texas" and "Need You Now" are just two of the songs in which Morlix finds his niche among Waits' losers and Earle's common-man rebels. Dark and beautiful, the songs of Gurf Morlix are carried by their swampy backdrop, a melding of juke joint blues and Cajun voodoo imagery. Like a hillbilly Warren Zevon (to whom he dedicates the album), Morlix casts a sarcastic eye toward the music establishment, finally adding "performer" to his lengthy list of accomplishments as a sideman and producer.