Gretchen Peters
Gretchen Peters
What really sets Gretchen Peters' self-titled disc apart from other similar artists is an intelligent lyrical approach to such well-worn themes as heartache, love affairs gone wrong and desperation. In "Love and Texaco" she sings "You were enough for me/I tried to be enough for you" with such straightforward honesty that it would strike a chord with anyone who has ever suffered through a bad relationship. Her mix of pop, country and blues along with her singing voice is eerily reminiscent of Deana Carter, but the songwriting is all Peters. She spouts topical social commentary on "Love is a Drug" when she croons, "Romeo's on the Internet/He's looking for his Juliet" but she pushes the lyrical trendiness on tunes such as "Eddy's First Wife" when she has Eddie's wife run away with another woman. "Like Water Into Wine" is her best ballad the slow-dance heartbreaker of the year. But her other weakness comes from the musical similarity of all the ballads; she needs to aim for more diversity. Overall, though, her words are strong and unpretentious and she definitely proves herself to be a top-level writer with this debut.
Eric Taylor
Scuffletown
Eric Taylor has long been an influential songwriter on the Texas music scene his fans include musicians Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith and Steve Earle and listening to "Scuffletown" makes it easy to see why. Taylor never strays from his bluesy, Southern gothic form of song-storytelling. His voice is strong, but a bit tough, as if you could almost see a lit cigarette dangling from his lips as he sings. His music blends acoustic guitar, piano and some haunting, subtle electric guitar licks together to bring a sense of foreboding to every song. Much of the material could have made it onto the soundtrack of one of those Burt Reynolds' Southern outlaw flicks of the 1970s. But his social commentary is certainly up to date, as he sings about race issues among other things "Your God" is a devastating shot at racial hatred inspired by the dragging death of James Byrd in Jasper, Tex. If you prefer storytellers who actually have something to say, then you'll appreciate Taylor's "Scuffletown."
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