Available in the US for a little while, this disc has picked up a whole heap of fantastic reviews and critical acclaim – and it’s thoroughly deserved as Peters & Russell have put together a genuine classic album that plays out like one long love song to the American West and the characters and life that inhabit the landscape. What this album isn’t though is a predictable retread of classic Western themes; this is a complex album full of memories, myths and personal loss, with many of the songs full of images faded by time.
Interestingly, even though Peters and Russell are celebrated songwriters this album only contains one Russell original amongst the 14 songs, but the quality of the songs they’ve chosen is exceptional, with a few relatively well known songs amongst pieces that will be new to most listeners.
Mary McCaslin’s ‘Prairie in the Sky’, Rebecca Folsom, Celeste Kranz, Elizabeth Barnez and Diana Jones' ‘If I had a Gun’ and Jennifer Warnes' ‘Prairie Melancholy’ provide memorable moments from the disc while sitting along side tracks from Dylan (‘Billy 4’) and Van Zandt (‘Snowin on Raton’).
It’s fitting that the album as full as lyric atmosphere has been recorded as with a similar feel – the vocals are beautifully clear with Peters’ warmth shining through, with the understated, weather-worn Russell bringing character to the songs. The instrumentation is raw and uncluttered, that befits the album and accordion and guitar provide the majority of the sound, with colour added by occasional Hammond and lap steel.
‘One to the Heart…’ is an album of real craft and subtlety and it’s obvious that Peters and Russell have a genuine love for the songs and history of the West, and these 14 songs are both beautiful and emotionally rewarding. Unreservedly recommended.
Track listing
1 North Platte
2 Prairie In The Sky
3 Billy 4
4 Blue Mountains of Mexico
5 These Cowboys Born Out Of Their Time
6 Guadalupe
7 Sweet And Shiny Eyes
8 Wolves
9 Snowin On Raton
10 Old Paint
11 My Last Go Round
12 North Platte (Reprise)
13 If I Had a Gun
14 Prairie Melancholy
£12.99 
