Gretchen Peters – Blackbirds – A Review

It has taken me quite a while to fully explore Gretchen Peters’ February 2015 release Blackbirds (Scarlet Letter Records).  But patience is a virtue they say, as this album is an outstanding achievement.

The artistry is impeccable.  The songwriting draws you in as there is so much emotion and well-articulated insights in these stories.

There are eleven tracks on Blackbirds and there is plenty of references to ageing and death:

“During the summer of 2013 when I began writing songs for ‘Blackbirds,’ there was one week when I went to three memorial services and a wedding,” remembers Peters. “It dawned on me that this is the way it goes as you get older – the memorial services start coming with alarming frequency and the weddings are infrequent and thus somehow more moving.”

Co-produced with Doug Lancio and Barry Walsh and recorded in Nashville, the album features some supporting heavy-hitters – Jerry Douglas, Jason Isbell, Jimmy LaFave, Will Kimbrough, Kim Richey, and Suzy Bogguss.

Gretchen Peters – Nashville September 2015 – photo Jim Jacob

The title song talks of a crime in Southern Louisiana, “The House On Auburn Street” reflects on the darker side of a suburb in which she lived.  A fisherman buries his wife as a result of the impact of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in “Black Ribbons”, while “When All You Got Is A Hammer” recounts the troubles for a veteran adjusting to life after active service.

It all sounds rather gloomy, but it is not.  There is a delicacy and an empathy here, with a multitude of sharp observations.  Peters was inducted into the prestigious Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014 and on Blackbirds the reasons for that accolade are abundantly clear.  A towering collection.

Here’s a clip of “Blackbirds”

Thanks To Thrillhill Music

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