Birmingham based singer/songwriter Eliot Morris' debut album for Universal, "What's Mine is Yours," is the type of album that is so good, you begin to question the entire music scene surrounding it, wondering why music this wonderful has not found it's place on the radio. Morris blends many different elements of artists of past, ranging from Jackson Browne, to James Taylor, to Adam Duritz (of Counting Crows). The result is a sincere, beautiful, well balanced album, that cannot be done justice in words.
The album opens with the beautiful "The Infancy of Us" which is a gorgeous ballad that features a lap steel guitar and a new arrangement from the well known version from Morris' Parker's Back CD. Current single "Balancing the World" follows, featuring upbeat piano, as well as a chorus that is sure to stay with you after listening. While surely radio ready, the album runs much deeper than merely a quick fix. "Faultline" features an understated melody, which with repeated listens begins to grow on you, along with intriguing lyrics and haunting background vocals, while "Novacaine" is a darker piano driven ballad, with lyrics that build to Morris pleading "I can't feel anything, I want to feel you."
Despite the darker moments, hope permeates from the record as a whole. "This Colorful World" sees the world from the eyes of an infant being born, with lines such as "My world was closing in, so I thought I'd take things outside," and "slowly strangers turned to friends, and welcomed me to this colorful world," while "No One Has to Know" is an intimate invitation for a secret evening rendezvous, and "Anyway" is an upbeat romp with sunny lyrics of love.
While "What's Mine is Yours" has been in production for a rather long time, it is well worth the wait. Every track is has obviously been carefully thought over, and the flow is impeccable. If there is any justice in the world, Morris is destined to do for the singer/songwriter genre what John Mayer did five years ago. Rather than someone saying "This sounds like John Mayer," it is likely to be "This sounds like Eliot Morris." The perfect debut from a great artist. At this point, "What's Mine is Yours" is my album of the year.

Rating: 9.5/10

Standout Tracks: Virtually all, but if I must pick; "The Infancy of Us", "This Colorful World", "Love Rescue Me"