What About the Water is the 19th CD by Lee Murdock, the foremost performer of folksongs and stories about the Great Lakes region. If you are familiar with his work over the years, you will be surprised at the new soundscape that he has forged with all new musicians, and by broadening of his scope to bigger waters. The influx of new musicians begins with Joel Simpson, a multi-instrumentalist who has been a fan of Lee Murdock since he was six years old. Simpson displays virtuosity beyond his youthfulness, switching off on mandolin, dobro, tenor banjo, guitar and vocals. Add the bass and vocals of Mike Bradburn (who also tours internationally with the popular folk-rock band Dolly Varden), and versatile percussionist Greg Smith (heavily influenced by drummer Steve Gadd), and you’ll hear Lee Murdock’s sound moving in a new direction. Lee Murdock now tours with Simpson, Bradburn and Smith as Blue Horizon, maintaining a continuity of repertoire, but with a fresh ensemble sound. Featured guests on this CD include blazing harmonica by Joe Filisko (half of the Roots Duo of Eric Noden & Joe Filisko). And in keeping with the band of younger musicians playing on this CD, Lee is joined by Danielle Larson, a new voice, but someone we know you’ll be hearing from again. In fact, the only returning accompanists in the studio lineup are The Dock Wallopers, a cappella vocal quartet of Murdock with Bill Pufahl (US Navy Bluejackets choir alumnus), Steve Lindenmeyer, and Richard Shields. The title song, What About the Water, shows us Murdock’s storytelling at its best, an epic tale which comes with an appeal for environmental preservation. A true story shared from family history by one of Lee’s fans, the song takes us back to 1963, when Lake Erie was drowning in pollution. It is the story of one man, who filed the first legal salvo in what later resulted in the Clean Water Act. And not one to leave out Great Lakes history, the song includes a surprising connection to “the bootleg underground” of the bygone Prohibition Era. Followed up by Stan Rogers’ classic Tiny Fish for Japan, firmly cements the environmental emphasis of the CD. Showcasing the new ensemble sound, Diana of the Dunelands is Murdock’s story of a young woman’s love of a sandy shoreline, transcending the limits of a lifetime. This is a ghost story with an appropriately ethereal arrangement, complete with seagulls of steel guitar from the imaginative playing of Joel Simpson. The instrumental arrangements provide the ensemble musicians with a vehicle for melodic interpretation, such as a guitar-illuminated passage from twilight to night, in Under Night’s Wing, a carefree stroll along the beach in Free and Easy, or a meditative Contemplation/Activation. These melodies might also be put to work as a textural sound bed for announcements or voice over. For a touch of levity, the full ensemble comes together on a staple of Lee Murdock’s repertoire, a traditional Great Lakes song, We’re Going to Pump Out Lake Erie. Joined by Joe Filisko on harmonica (no that’s not an accordion!), and with the Dock Wallopers, Bradburn and Simpson on vocals, the song captures the whimsical nature of a song about raising the tides of Lake Erie to keep the canal boats afloat. Stepping back into his Great Lakes historian boots, Lee composed a song for the remembrance of the Great Storm of 1913, We Shall Always Remember. Over 250 sailors and 13 ships were lost on the Great Lakes during this storm of November 8-12, 1913, resulting changes in maritime law. This simple anthem is a good choice for annual remembrance of the legendary “gales of November.” Upon the Wind is a haunting ballad about a Civil War veteran’s journey home, with relevance for PTSD victims in our own day. Other familiar themes show up in this work, in the guise of Scottish and Irish immigrant heritage (a melodious cover of Peter/Stephen Jones’ Kilkelly, and the traditional favorite, Wild Mountain Thyme), and rounding out the project, Murdock concludes this collection with After the Storm, using maritime symbolism in a call to find consensus and community, instead of ever increasing animosity and confrontation so prevalent today. This album is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a State Agency.