Daffodils & Dirt


Daffodils & Dirt is the debut studio album by Sam Morton, an English music duo consisting of actress and singer Samantha Morton and record producer Richard Russell. It was released on 14 June 2024 through Russell's record label XL Recordings. It received universal acclaim from critics.

Background

In 2020, Richard Russell heard Samantha Morton on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. Russell reached out to Morton, hoping to sample her spoken passage for his collaborative project Everything Is Recorded. They then began making music together and formed the duo Sam Morton.
In 2023, Sam Morton released two vinyl-only singles: "Hunger Hill Road / Ghosts Are Dancing" and "Supplication / Headbouncing". In 2024, the duo released "Cry Without End", their first track that has been made available digitally.
Daffodils & Dirt includes a rendition of Johnnie Ray's song "The Little White Cloud That Cried". UB40's Ali Campbell provided guest vocals on "Broxtowe Girl". The album also features contributions from Alabaster DePlume, Laura Groves, and Jack Peñate. The album's cover art is an archive photograph taken by Nick Waplington.
Samantha Morton directed the music videos for "Cry Without End" and "Let's Walk in the Night".
On 18 May 2024, Sam Morton performed the song "Let's Walk in the Night" on BBC's Later... with Jools Holland.

Critical reception

Shaad D'Souza of The Observer commented that the album "captures the uncanny prickliness innate to all the best trip-hop while folding in elements of dream-pop and no-wave, resulting in an unnerving, intoxicating listen." He added, "It's eclectic and, by its skyward-looking spoken-word end, surprisingly invigorating." John Murphy of MusicOMH called it "one of the most startling albums of the year." He added, "Hopefully, Sam Morton won't just be a one-off collaboration, as chemistry like this is rare to find: a second instalment would be most welcome." Matt Young of The Line of Best Fit stated, "Daffodils & Dirt is an album that exudes an overwhelming sense of light, casting out the shade and destroying the darkness."
Daffodils & Dirt was included on the list of 2024's best record sleeves at the 20th Best Art Vinyl awards.

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.