Raised a Johnny Cash devotee in the NSW Riverina, it stands reason that William Crighton’s art would sit flush in the centre of a three-way Venn diagram between searing and smoky blues-rock, dusty Australiana and rich, heartfelt roots. Water And Dust – Crighton’s third full-length effort – amplifies his earnestness in all three areas, delivering an album that is intense in its impact, painstakingly crafted to take its listener on a deep and enthralling journey.
As its title and artwork make explicit, the record explores Australian culture with an intense sharpness, Crighton’s love for his homeland unequivocally gallant. To parrot the label copy, it sees the songster tap into “the terrain, the people, the raw beauty, the danger the echoes of the past and the hopes for the future” – it is,
