Night Train

By the time of Bill Morrissey's fifth release, NIGHT TRAIN, the folk world had come to expect excellence from the New England songwriter. Good thing then, that NIGHT TRAIN delivers. While it doesn't plumb the same number of emotional sinkholes that its predecessor, INSIDE, does, the album is full of top-shelf vignettes which illuminate the harsh existence of day-to-day life. Comfort comes with a price tag, as "Sandy," a tale of a woman who shuts out the outside world by immersing herself in church, indicates. Whether there is any true comfort to be found at all is an open question Morrissey explores on the album's highlight, "Birches." A metaphorical investigation of a husband and wife's passionless marriage, this song is a treatise marking the emotional struggle of digging in for the long haul. The presence of David Johansen's barreling vocals is a distraction alongside Morrissey's more laconic delivery. He quickly gets back with "Blues in the Morning," "Broken Waltz Time," and "Walk Down These Streets," the latter displaying the dubious merits of post-relationship emotional detachment. Recorded at Long View Farm, North Brookfield, Massachusetts. Personnel: Bill Morrissey (vocals, guitar); Ellen Cross, David Johansen (vocals); Duke Levine (electric guitar); Top Topham (12-string guitar); Peter Keane (guitar); Johnny Cunningham (violin); Vernon David (cello); Richard Gates (bass); Billy Conway (drums, percussion). Award Winner Rolling Stone (11/11/93, p.74) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...Morrissey's songs [on NIGHT TRAIN] capture the stark, hardscrabble milieus of a subterranean New England culture..."
Entertainment Weekly (9/24/93, p.94) - "...Morrissey's creaky voice is the perfect instrument to tell these proud losers' tales. Put simply, he is the best folk songwriter working today..." - Rating: A
Stereo Review (4/94, p.98) - "...The testosterone-heavy voice of New England folkie Bill Morrissey is nothing short of compelling, even when his songs bland out..."