Neil Morris Fragrances Earthtones #4 - Red Sky

I am an avowed foodie and am always on the lookout for a great new restaurant. For about a year I had been told the Indian restaurant a block away from my house was one of these hidden gems. Of course I didn’t check it out because if it was so close to me it couldn’t be that good, right? It is an oddity of human nature that we often have the ability to overlook what is close at hand to always search the far horizon for that new or novel experience.

As it was with restaurants so it was with perfumers. I had become aware of Boston based perfumer Neil Morris about three years ago and much like that Indian restaurant a block away I immediately dismissed the possibility of it being interesting. After all when we think of hotbeds of perfumery Boston would not be the first place that would spring to mind. 

After too long I finally gave one of Mr. Morris’ fragrances a try and when I sniffed Gotham on the strip and then on my skin I realized I had been missing something that was right in front of me.

Neil Morris Fragrances has two sets of fragrances. Eight scents, one of which is Gotham, make up the Signature Collection and then there is another group of about 50 scents called The Vault Collection. Mr. Morris releases them in groups of ten and the most recent group of ten Vault fragrances is a good example of the breadth of Mr. Morris’ skill.

City Rain is the smell of an urban garden after a summer thundershower from the ozone in the air through a floral middle to a wet earthy base.

Prowl is an amped up version of Balenciaga Rumba. The two smell identical at the top but Prowl then takes a deeper more sensual turn through the use of patchouli, amber and civet in the base. Vapor is one of the lighter offerings in this group as it fizzes off the skin on a fuse of aldehydes before coming to earth in an incense and amber mix.

Mystic Dragon takes incense in a different direction as Mr. Morris pairs it with a chocolate accord to create a resinous sweet combination. Mariner is what an aquatic can be when a perfumer is unafraid to take it deeper than most of the mass-market fragrances. Mariner works the classic bergamot opening to a clean base of deep cedar and sheer white musk.

Rumi which is named after a 13th century Persian philosopher is perhaps the most straight-forward of this group but the distinct development from floral to patchouli to amber is well done.

Vanilla Rose is for those who love vanilla and rose and wonder what a combination of the two would be like. It could have been cloying but Mr. Morris keeps the two strong notes under control and balanced.

Midnight Forest is the latest in the “Midnight” series, within the Vault fragrances, as the combination of redwood, myrrh, and musk create the smell of a stand of sentinel trees around a campfire with the smell of things lurking just beyond the ring of night. Leather Garden is the second most interesting of this group, to me, as Mr. Morris fuses two more strong accords in leather and rose to create a mix of warm leather and deep floral accords that is unusual and, surprisingly, works extremely well.

That leads me to the fragrance I think is the best of this bunch, Earthtones #4 - Red Sky. All of Mr. Morris’ fragrances have a story behind their creation and in an e-mail Mr. Morris related the inspiration behind Red Sky:

“Red Sky begins with a memory of a trip I took to the southwest 30 years ago. We had driven through Sedona on our way back to Phoenix from the Grand Canyon and I remember we stopped in a small town in the desert. The sun was going down and there appeared the most gorgeous sunset imaginable. The air was cooling and I could smell the sand and rocks as they too cooled. I wanted to recreate the scents and feelings of that magical western sundown.”

I also have spent a lot of time out in the Southwestern part of the U.S. and while I agree that Red Sky captures the moment of transition in the desert it rings more closely to dawn than sunset, for me. It reminds me of the times when I have climbed out of my tent as the sun comes up over the desert. There is a clean smell to the beginning of the day and that moment as the last vestiges of the night blooming flora waft away on the wind overlaid atop the subtle smell of the red rocks and the sand. In any case Mr. Morris has captured a beautiful mix of notes to create this olfactory landscape.
 

The top of Red Sky begins with a clean mix of lemongrass and lavender. The lemongrass gives the sharp lines of lemon over a slightly green feel which is accentuated by the softness of lavender. The heart is a mix of two unusual floral notes; narcissus and delphinium. Mr. Morris is a master at using narcissus and all of my favorite fragrances by him seem to contain narcissus as a component.

From Gotham to Neil Morris for Takashimaya he has taken narcissus and modulated it magnificently through a number of iterations. In Red Sky he takes the narcissus and delphinium and keeps them on the lighter side so that it feels as if these floral notes are being blown in on the early-morning breeze from afar. The base takes the earthy feel of oakmoss, the warmth of amber and the animalic tones of musk to create the stony feel of the desert at transition.

Red Sky and all of Mr. Morris’ fragrances have incredible longevity and incredible sillage. These are powerful dense creations. With that in mind this is a line that really requires it to be sampled before buying a full bottle as these are full-bodied fragrances.

Thankfully Neil Neil Morris Fragrances has an offer which allows you to do just this. It is called “Four From The Vault”, for $95.00 you can go to the Neil Morris website and request four samples of any of the Vault fragrances and once you decide on which one you like you can get a 1.0 oz. bottle of it. This also makes a good gift for the perfumista in your life as the holidays approach.
 

I have also gotten a sneak peek at a couple of the next group of Vault fragrances that will be released in 2010; Regal Amber and Ayour already look to be outstanding additions to the Vault.

Just as I found when finally visiting the Indian restaurant, Mr. Morris has taught me that while I might scan the far horizon for the latest thing I also need to keep my vision close to home. Because I might find some of the best things close at hand and in Neil Morris Fragrances I am lucky enough to have a perfumer close at hand who appeals to me. 

Full Disclosure: This review is based on a bottle that
I purchased from Neil Morris Fragrances and the
samples included with that purchase.

Images: Neil Morris Fragrances, law keven, Pear Bitter