Album review: Chris Morrissey's inviting melodies lead 'North Hero'

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Chance the Rapper performs at Club Nokia on Dec. 29, 2013. REVIEW: Chance the Rapper trips out at Club Nokia (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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David Paden Marchand, best known by his stage name Davey Havok, is the lead vocalist of the American rock band AFI and performs at the KROQ-FM’s annual Almost Acoustic Christmas concert at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Read the review: Day 1 | Day 2 (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

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Emeli Sandé performs at the recent Wango Tango at the Home Depot Center in Carson. More photos from Wango Tango 2013 (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio. Read the review. (Bethany Mollenkof / Los Angeles Times)

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The two remaining original members, lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, left and writer, guitarist Pete Townshend perform a track from rock opera album “Quadrophenia” at Staples Center. Read the review. (Michael Robinson Chave / Los Angeles Times)

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Ryan Hahn, left, and Taylor Rice of the L.A. band Local Natives play to a sold-out show at the Fonda in Hollywood. Read the review. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

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Andrew Bird performs at Largo in West Hollywood. Review: Night 1 of Andrew Bird’s stint at Largo (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

By Chris Barton

July 23, 2013 7 AM PT

Never underestimate the power of the Midwest. Continuing a recent run of Minnesota-born jazz talent that includes guitarist Todd Clauser and the Bad Plus, bassist Chris Morrissey offers a snapshot of his inviting way with melody on the wryly titled “North Hero.”

The product of a successful Kickstarter campaign last year, the album was also produced by Bad Plus drummer Dave King, a connection that stands to reason given Morrissey also performed with King’s limber Minneapolis-based project Happy Apple.

With those kinds of connections you might expect Morrissey to have nimble chops, and he’s also been heard backing the intricate indie rock of Andrew Bird along with fellow singer-songwriters Ben Kweller and Sara Bareilles. The plaintive “Minor Silverstein” lifts out of a murmuring saxophone line by Mike Lewis (who also performed with Bon Iver) that’s gracefully shadowed by pianist Aaron Parks, who also delivers a cascading venture into the blues on “One Worn Mile.”

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“Midland, Texas Picnic Area” features a more swinging pace punctuated by drummer Mark Guiliana and a slippery lead by Lewis, and the four-on-the-floor rhythm driving “Hands Crystals Anderson” recalls the locomotive thrust of something from the Bad Plus’ catalog aided by chunky chords from Parks.

But despite such touchstones Morrissey isn’t so easy to peg, and though his album revels in a sense of place the results are worth hearing in any time zone.

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Chris Morrissey

“North Hero”

3 stars

(Sunnyside)

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Twitter: @chrisbarton