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 As pine trees multiply in the mountains, so the musical landscape sprouts gifted singer/songwriters. Acquiring an audience in a forest of acoustic troubadours is a daunting task for a musician. From the street corner minstrel playing for tips to star performers in packed metropolitan music halls, folk flavored choices abound. It’s a jungle out there. 

So what’s an artist to do in the face of all this competition? What’s a consumer to do in the face of all these choices? Decisions, decisions. For consumers, it’s an insignificant down side. If a buyer orders a CD that disappoints, there’s little harm done. Maybe it wastes a little time and money, but it’s not the end of the world. No problem. But what if you are a musician attempting to navigate the rough waters of the rapidly changing market in this crowded genre? A poor choice here, a wayward project there, and it might be the beginning of a slippery slope leading to the end of a career. 

So, what’s a music patron and recording artist to do? There is an answer, you know. It’s a solution that will work for folk artists and aficionados alike. The answer? Eric Peters and the phenomenal Land of the Living!

If you are a consumer, go buy it. It’s a no-brainer. It will earn a permanent position in your CD player. Land of the Living follows me wherever I go. Although it’s an inconvenient transfer from the house to the car to the Walkman, having it when I need it makes it worth the trouble. 

If you are a recording artist, consider emulating Eric Peters. In Land of the Living, Peters demonstrates an advanced artistic understanding of what it takes to design a successful album. Obviously, it starts with natural talent. Without God given aptitude, there’s no advancing to the second step. Lacking the goods, no amount of strategic planning and implementation will lead to success. And yet, talent alone isn’t enough. The starving artist cliché has been with us for a long time. 

So, if it’s not a matter of talent alone, what else is it? Well, here it is. Eric Peters majors in the majors while some artists major in the minors. Framed another way, Peters excels in the most important aspects of constructing a musical project. The Achilles heel of many artists is a tendency to self-indulge in areas that matter least. Peters shines in the areas that matter most, fundamentals.

First and foremost, Eric Peters is a consummate songwriter with a proficiency for writing attractive melodies. In the same way heads turn when a stunning member of the opposite sex walks by, or a fish leaving the local crawdad buffet attacks the bait of an expert fisherman, so do Eric Peter’s songs always command attention. "My Tripwire," "The Iron Did Swim," "Spare Change," "Recovery," "Katie," "I Know the Mountains," and "Mary (A Husband’s Lament)" are my personal favorites. I’m thankful I didn’t have to choose just one!

"I Know the Mountains" is a masterpiece and the first cut on Land of the Living, Peters second solo album. The song starts with a medium tempo acoustic rhythm that seems to beg for words. There’s an urgent, driving pace which provides an appropriate canvas for a song that eloquently describes a place that all Christians visit, but often refuse to acknowledge. Peters uses a nautical setting to characterize the condition. In the first verse, he describes a damaged vessel, tossed about on the open sea and lacking direction. Is it selfishness, pride, arrogance, or some other secret sin that damaged the ship? Since the sin or state of mind isn’t named, we conclude the symptoms are less relevant than the obvious need for repair.

The last line of the first verse completely knocks me out.

 But when I run away, do you grow fonder?

After we have a clear picture of our dire situation in the first verse, Peters launches into a hopeful chorus using three metaphors that open our eyes to the faithfulness of God. The omnipresence of God comforts, yet that truth often must manifest itself in experience, for the benefit of our wandering hearts and minds:

 I know the mountains will rise high again,
 I know the letters will make words again,
 I know the winter will grow warm again. 

 Do you grow tired of telling me the same thing?
 You must grow tired of telling me the same thing.

An incisive, emotional line for me anyway, this line carved out an even deeper chunk in my soul recently. I was in the car with my 18 year-old son, who is a bit of a rebel. After this familiar line played, he said, "Dad, you get tired of telling me the same thing all the time, don’t you?" Ouch. I do tire of repeating myself. Yet, I love him and it is so worth every bit of frustration. On some level, earthly father notions provide some sense of what our Heavenly Father perceives as He patiently waits for our spiritual maturity. I’m quite thankful that God never refuses my confessions of failure.

An Eric Peters tune begins by defining a problem, creating a character, or offering an observation. Like a page turner you can’t stop reading, each line creates a passion to hear the next. One of the most conspicuous characteristics of a skilled writer is the ability to persuade the reader or listener to identify with the text. Two characteristics are necessary for this kind of writing. The first is the vision and willingness to be candid. The second is the courage to be introspective and vulnerable. Peters creates his own wounds and then bleeds like an open fire hydrant. Is that honest and unreserved enough for you? Then we come to the chorus or "hook". Peters is a master at designing memorable "hooks" in an intense, rousing style that punctuate the point he’s aiming for. Ignore it if you can (you can’t).

Am I spending too much time writing about the songs? I haven’t reached major point number two yet! Well, I can’t move on without raving about "Mary (A Husband’s Lament)", perhaps the most poignant composition in the portfolio. This song is one of at least three songs in Land of the Living in which Peters manages to create completely believable and compelling characters. In this song, he somehow succeeded in making me feel off the chart compassion for one of societies lowest characters. It’s a song which chronicles the guilt, shame and penitence of a condemned murderer. I support the death penalty for murderers. Riveting editorials, moving placards, and noisy demonstrations would not alter my position. If anything could, it would be this song. Experiencing this song without feeling the man’s pain can’t be done, unless you have the compassion of a tree stump:

 Mary, come to me, please wear my favorite dress
 Mercy here is a welcome word, but one I can’t accept.
 Mary, wring my hands, stained with another man’s blood.
 I ran far and I ran wide, but the guilt was just too much.
 Mary do me one last thing,

 and He forgives me of my wrongs.

The next thing aspiring folk players must do is figure out a method for stealing Peters voice. If ever there was a pure, natural vocalist, Eric Peters is it. Friends have observed that Peters voice is reminiscent of a host of respected artists including Neil Young, Bill Mallonee, Phil Keaggy and Ben Folds of Ben Folds Five. Reminiscent isn’t synonymous with "sounds like." Yes, Peters voice does contain elements of these artists. You will hear the lonely, plaintive echo of Young on "These Hands", the timbre of Mallonee without the hick accent on "I Know the Mountains," and shades of Folds when Peters eases into a lower register. Still, Eric Peters is an original. I’m telling you, if you want to stand out in the folk forest, mimic this man’s voice if you can (you can’t).

Oh, that’s another thing. Eric Peters style is not pure folk. Not by a long shot. Folk artists sometimes record entire albums without anything the listener can sing along to. Nearly every song on Land of the Living is of the sing along variety. If you enjoy contributing harmony, Peters leaves plenty of room for that too. This man also laces most of his work with an impressive pop sensibility, which I’ve never felt was a bad thing. Further, he salts his pieces with dashes of electric guitar, which is most certainly against folk rules, unless you are Bob Dylan. Despite some experimentation with accordion, Indian dulcimer, tin whistle and a few other obscure instruments, they are never distracting. They blend seamlessly with everything else. 

Professional poets may observe that Peters rhymes are not complex. Although deviating occasionally, he generally employs the style of songwriting in which the first line rhymes with the next. Some folk purists and poetic snobs might find something to criticize in that department. To me, the rudimentary metering is of no consequence. I found Peters lyrics insightful, affecting, and meaningful. His style is straightforward, yet thought provoking and intriguing. 

You know it seems to me I started this review with the benevolent and concurrent goals of recommending Land of the Living to consumers and folks artists alike. Fans of folk, rock, and pop will all fall in love with this effort. I actually played Land of the Living for my younger brother the other day, a devoted, but admittedly open-minded heavy metal freak. He offered his approval without any prompting. For consumers, it’s one of the best albums of the year. For artists, it’s a chance to learn something from an authentic maven.

Nearly out of space, I don’t have room to expound on Peters other major, fundamental good choices. I’m running out of space to tell you that he plays guitar with the precision of a brain surgeon, creating clean, pretty, nuanced licks. I won’t be able to expand on the man’s good judgement in choosing Rick Naqvi and Brent Milligan to produce the project. Maybe it’s just as well. Half the fun of listening to Land of the Living are the discoveries you make on your own. Like the punch line to a good joke, you will probably enjoy it more if I leave something to your imagination. 

You’d think that music alternatives such as folk might provide practitioners more elbow room than mainstream options. Not so. The Internet and increasingly global economy have made possible a new kind of market penetration which provides alternative music makers with exposure that wasn’t possible in the olden days.

The same market conditions which allow for an expansive audience without the assist of radio, also attracts a multitude of artists who embrace these modern marketing methods. It’s a paradox which artists may wish to disregard but nonetheless impacts the extent to which they reach consumers. The same environment, which allows a fringe or independent artist to survive and even thrive, also attracts a flock of wannabes. What’s a music fan or aspiring artist to do? Simple. For listening pleasure like you haven’t had in awhile or a cool artistic role model, check out Eric Peters and Land of the Living. You will discover distinctive rhythmic textures, memorable melodies and an energized, bright, warm delivery which oozes hope. 

Curt McLey, April 14, 2002