The Incredible Lightness Of Being Bill Pritchard

By Henry Lipput

 Bill Pritchard is not a lightweight in any sense of the word. He has, instead, a lightness in the touch he brings to his vocals, his lyrics, and his musical arrangements. Taken together he makes a wonderful sound and nowhere is this more evident than on his new album Haunted (Tapete Records).

Since his Jolie album in 1990, Pritchard has been releasing music known for its sharp observations and quiet beauty and he continues to refine and expand what a pop song can be.  I wasn’t aware of him until I got to hear the Mother Town Hall album in 2016 and was more than delighted to join the Pritchard fan club (I reviewed the album back then when I was writing for CoolDad Music).

“Perpetual Tourist,” the album’s lead off track, begins with the statement “When I walked/When I left her” letting us know he feels free and he’s on the way to try everything (“When I drank/Crossed the line”) and looking for something. The upbeat pop sound of the song, with its 60’s pop organ, belies his feeling of not missing an important part of his life as it unravels.

“Lillie” is a pop gem and there are some cool 70’s sounding George Harrison horns in the mix. Throughout the song a woman is earnestly wooed with references to art, visits to wealthy clubs, and being a safe haven: “Paint me/I’ll add your art upon my wall/I’ll be a member when the curtain calls” and “You’ll be my safe zone when bombs should fall.”

The title track, “Haunted,” is an amazingly gorgeous song about a lost love (one would only hope that the man in “Perpetual Tourist” might some day have these feelings). With only a strummed acoustic guitar accompaniment Pritchard quietly sings “Just want to say that all in all it’s better this way.” He continues, as strings and horns stir in the background, “I’m haunted/Haunted by everything we did/I’m haunted//By all the facts we hid.”