If possible, put aside the calibre of musicianship on Bill Morris' sophomore album Hinterland and focus instead on a songwriter who, if not at the height of his powers, has certainly built on the strengths he displayed in 2012 debut Mud.
Aided by multi-instrumentalist and producer John Egenes, among others, Morris wields his lyrical pen with a relaxed deftness, his intimate, nuanced observations set within tales of escape (Hinterland), longing (Roses In A Drawer) and making ends meet (The Day the Stock Trucks Came).
In Morris' world, when fiction collides with realism, the result is an assured storyboard of characters.
• Bill Morris. Hinterland. Independent.
• Four stars
• Single download: Remnants of Ruminants
• For those who like: Paul Kelly, Jason Isbell
- Shane Gilchrist
