Album review: Billy Morrison – The Morrison Project: Deluxe Edition

Billy Morrison is a name that should be much more lauded than it already is. A London-born, Los Angeles-based guitar hero and sometime singer-songwriter who hit rock bottom, homeless and close to death, before roaring back to spend the last 15 years as Billy Idol’s six-stringer extraordinaire – as well as playing with goth overlords The Cult, and Hollywood supergroups Camp Freddy and Royal Machines – his is quite the story. Hell, he’s even an accomplished painter and visual artist on top of all that.

Originally released last year, his third solo album The Morrison Project felt like a showcase not only for his underrated talents, but also his megastar friend-group. This bulging Deluxe Edition doubles down on that.

Featuring Ozzy Fucking Osbourne and fellow Billy Idol axeman Steve Stevens, stomping lead single Crack Cocaine is still a stand-out. All grandiose guitars and OTT theatricality, it feels more than anything else like vintage Double-O. It is given a run for its money by an orchestral rework of Billy and Ozzy’s 2015 collaboration Gods Of Rock N Roll, mind: the weave of sumptuous strings and whistling wind elevating what was already an absurdly overblown ode to all things loud and heavy.

Elsewhere, there is a deliciously industrial bite. Ministry’s Al Jourgensen and guitar legend John 5 pile in for crunching highlight The Ayes Have It. Corey Taylor and Steve Vai lend their considerable heft to the almost NIN-ish Incite The Watch. There’s even a vintage rock Run-DMC cameo (alongside Persia ‘daughter of Gary’ Numan) on the swaggering, unexpectedly atmospheric Just Like A Movie.

It’s how the songs without superstar guest spots crack and burn that truly elevates this collection, though. Whether smouldering through bombastic opener Drowning or hitting 100mph on pedal-down highlight Dystopia, Billy takes little time showing everybody why a whole galaxy of big, big names were happy to lend themselves to his cause.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: Ozzy Osbourne, Ministry, Billy Idol

The Morrison Project: Deluxe Edition is out now

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