Local singer-songwriter Matt Morris had captured Denver’s attention—as well as Justin Timberlake’s—before this weekend, but his new look and transformed sounds have made him nearly unrecognizable, even to longtime Westword music critic Dave Herrera. Morris has spent some time in Los Angeles lately, but he returned to give the audience at Friday’s Bluebird Theater performance a glimpse into his divergent direction: “There will be enough new songs to give people an idea of where my head’s at, even if the sound itself is still evolving” (Denver Post).

We can’t yet predict whether Morris has awards in his future, but a choir at Rocky Mountain High School has had a certain golden statue on the brain after the Grammy Foundation lauded its impressive music program (Coloradoan). And speaking of singing accolades, five-time Grammy winner Lionel Richie stopped in to visit Denver Health’s pediatric patients and their families Saturday before performing at the NightShine Gala, a benefit for the Denver Health Foundation (Post).