Bill Morris – In the Limestone Country
This is an LP that was ambitiously created over the course of five years. Bill Morris (guitar/piano/vocals) is a highly respected songwriter from New Zealand. Bill draws upon traditional folk music elements & composes & discovers songs not constructed out of a desire to be commercial. Many songs are true stories, about places he has been, people he has met on his travels, things he learned & heard. You could call his work a documentary, which is something else Bill Morris does well.
There are 9 pivotal tunes In the Limestone Country (Drops Aug 29 2025/Independent) produced by Steve Horrop (bass) in his studio in Waitaki Valley in NZ. Bill begins with the well-carved out “Orphans of the Clyde.” Intense, spatial & vocals perfectly rural with sawing a violin, exceptional background vocals & a steady drive reminiscent of Canada’s late Gordon Lightfoot & Australia’s late Gary Shearston (“Dingo”). Some may even say this music is sweet with its traditional leanings – but it’s more like a cantaloupe slice with a sprinkle of salt. It has panache.
The backup vocals are good as supporting voices, & at times with a touch of spirituality. The violin touch helps to make it ethereal. The tales are steady & some tunes could be about the settling of America’s West. The parallel is stunning. “This Town” is a powerful narrative. Almost like a Pink Floyd interlude. The town, what it was & what it is now.
“Beyond the Main Divide” is percussively similar to Billy Joel’s classic “Down Easter Alexa.” But that’s where the comparison ends. Bill’s composition is dressed in the finery of the backup vocals, perfectly suited to his traditionally inspired voice with a splash of atmosphere. “Davy Lowston” is an old song that haunted Morris since he first heard it in 2007. An ode to the killing of seals. This is the kind of song the band Strawbs would do. It has an assemblage of sadness, history & tragedy that’s musically captivating. Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” had it, so did the Strawbs’ “Grace Darling.”
“An Island Where No Island Should Be,” “In the Limestone Country,” & “No Safe Harbor” have the agility & melodicism of the late David McWilliams (“Days of Pearly Spencer,” “Marlena”). Excellent compositions.
The writer/poet & novelist Gertrude Stein said, “No artist needs criticism; he only needs appreciation. If he needs criticism, he is no artist.” Bill Morris is an artist. There, I said it.
Highlights –“Orphans of the Clyde,” “Beyond the Main Divide,” “Davy Lowston,” “The Rook,” “An Island Where No Island Should Be,” “In the Limestone Country,” “This Town,” & “No Safe Harbor.”
Musicians – Dave Khan (guitars/violin), Paul Harrop (accordion), Hollie McPhee (bgv) & John Joe Kelly (Bodhran).
Color image courtesy of Derek Morrison. Music samples available at Bandcamp & Soundcloud. CD @ https://www.billmorris.band/itlc