Matt Morris says country music has never been his thing. Growing up in Denver, his father, Gary Morris, was a successful country crooner who had a string of number one hits in the late eighties. And although Morris says his father influenced him in many ways, he assures you won’t find any country-twang on his latest album, “When Everything Breaks Open.” “I’m not really a country singer,” he says over the phone from Los Angeles. “And I’m gay, too…country radio doesn’t really show much love to the gay artists. It never really seemed like the right fit for me.”

Morris’ new album – which was released on January 12 – is a soulful, folk-rock record. His melodic, acoustic sound can be heard throughout, with a touch of playful-pop flavor. Morris says it has a lot of musical texture. “I would describe the sound of the album as eclectic, soul music,” he says. “To me, it is music that you’re meant to listen to with your heart, as well as your ears. It’s music that’s intended to hit you on all different levels.”

Morris has some major superstar power backing him up. The 30-year old musician/songwriter is signed under Tennman Records, which Justin Timberlake heads up. Morris and Timberlake first met when they were part of the Mickey Mouse Club in the late nineties, and since then have remained good friends. It was actually Timberlake who encouraged Morris to sign under his music label back in 2007. Timberlake is co-producer on the album and has said “Matt is kind of like Ray LaMontagne meets Elton John meets Stevie Wonder meets Rufus Wainwright…It’s time for the birth of the hybrid artist.”

For Morris, signing under his friend’s label was about working with someone who really believed in his music. “I signed under Tennman Records not because ‘Justin Timberlake the superstar’ was going to be the head of the label, but because Justin Timberlake my friend was going to help me make an album. I did this because I could trust him. I did this because I had faith he was going to do what he said he was going to do.”

Morris, who has penned songs for Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Kelly Clarkson, among others, says he is a performer first and foremost. Most recently, he sang on the Late Show with David Letterman, and the celebrity-packed telethon, “Hope for Haiti Now.” Morris, alongside Timberlake, performed a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”

The humble artist says the timing feels right for the debut of his newest album. After taking a break from the industry to get married to his partner Sean, start a family, and buy a house, he feels he now has meaningful things to write and sing about. Morris says he is inspired by ordinary and beautiful things around him, and he hopes his songs touch people in a very real way. “You have listen to them. You have to give them a second. If you do give it a second, I think you’ll remember them. I think there’s a chance they may speak to you.” It’s a message this break-out artist hopes will resonate with his fans for years to come.

- Emily Anonuevo

Although summer is just around the corner, the fashion world is already into fall. Always one step ahead. The world fashion weeks have passed and videos, photos and media have communicated what we have to look forward to for the upcoming fall season. I know we should always live in the present, but when a collection comes out that is as good as Elise Øverland’s, it is hard to keep from longing for the future. The New York-based Øverland uses raw materials such as leather and silk in rich colours to produce structured, sophisticated and feminine designs. Inspired by rock and roll and performance art, the pieces are edgy and passionate and in a word, stunning.

The clothes inspire some imagination and creativity too. I would love to hang out with a wolf under the moonlight wearing pieces from Øverland’s new collection. Dramatic? Perhaps. But the pieces just seems to call for that sort of dramatic storyline. Check out a clip of Elise Øverland’s fall/winter 2010 runway show below:

- Kara Hornland

Is it possible to love everything in a designer’s collection? Color us naive, but we can’t seem to stop thinking about Patrik Ervell’s latest offerings for fall/winter 2010. After watching the video below, we’re pretty confident you’ll agree with us that Ervell’s line of modern-chic menswear is worthy of admiration. It’s simple and classic, yet unmistakably fashion-forward and sophisticated; it’s the type of clothing we want to fill our closets with and wear over and over again. Check it out for yourself:

- TC

Brothers Chris and Kirk Bray are the founders and creative team behind Billykirk, an accessories line founded on the principles of hand-crafted, classic, quality leather goods. The company’s name is taken from the short-form of Kirk’s full name, William Kirkland, while the company’s aesthetics were influenced by the brothers’ love of vintage, industrial, Americana growing up in the South.

The “Billy Kirk” collection began in 1999 with watch straps, and the line has since expanded into belts, wallets, satchels, travel bags and house wares. Their commitment to making beautiful, timeless goods make them the perfect pair to feature in our “Things That Never Go Out of Style” series here on corduroymag.com. Here are Chris and Kirk’s “top ten” lists:

Chris (on the right):
1. 35mm film
2. American-made tools, boots and folk music
3. Billykirk’s hand-stitched card cases
4. Brooks Brothers Seersucker suit
5. Chivalry (I am a Southern boy)
6. Grandpa’s old pocket knife and Zippo lighter
7. WWII stories of valor and unselfishness
8. My Gokey’s canvas and leather briefcase I got new in 1988
9. Signet rings
10. Monogrammed stationary

Kirk (seated at left):
1. White Jack Purcells
2. 1960’s Omega Seamaster watch
3. Early Stock Ford Bronco
4. John Stewart
5. Good fitting navy blazer
6. Motivation through hard work
7. Bonnie Prince Billy
8. “Catcher in the Rye”
9. Levi’s
10. Experimentation

Find out more about the brand and check out their latest collection online at billykirk.com.

- TC

Berkeley California’s The Morning Benders record their illuminating debut single “Excuses” with a group of friends in San Francisco and it’s a revelation. The soaring number is a passionate, whimsical collaboration between friends who look like they’ve been playing music together forever. This is the stuff dreams are made of.