A new Pierce Pettis disc is real treat, as he is genuinely one of the this generations very finest singer/songwriters, and his ‘State of Grace’ album remains a high watermark in the genre over the past 10 years.
This new disc sees Pierce reunited with the producer of ‘State of Grace’ Garry West, and while only time will tell if this new disc lasts as well as his classic album, the songs are strong, the vocals are excellent, and the playing and arrangements have much of the magic found on ‘State of Grace’.
The 12 tracks here are all low-key pieces that are lyrically deep, but the songs are delivered with such an easy manner and with such a keen ear for a melody that they work on different levels, both as light melody driven songs or serious pieces that hit the listener on an emotional level as he capture the universals of the human condition.
Supported by a group of musicians including Andrea Zonn, Stuart Duncan, Todd Philllips and Kenny Malone, he has brought together some of the finest Nashville artists around.
The opening track ‘Nothing but the Wind’ gets the album off to a great start in a catchy blaze of Hammond, fiddle and slide guitar, and from then on in the disc gets into a laidback, acoustic rhythm of lyrics and melodies that move from sensitive to hard-hittting with ease, and demonstrate why Pettis was a once a staff writer for Polygram Publishing in Nashville.
Picking highlights from an album as consistent as ‘That Kind of Love’ is genuinely difficult, the opener is a fine track; the story told in ‘Farewell’ is narrated with such economy of words that it leaves just enough for you to paint the picture yourself; and ‘I Am Nothing’ is a powerful, beautiful song that perfectly sums up the quality of Pettis’ writing.
This is a superb album to kick off the releases for 2009, Pierce is certainly one of the very best artists of his generation, and this album sees him right back at the top of his game. Unreservedly recommended.

Track listing
1 Nothing But The Wind
2 I Am Nothing
3 Veracruz
4 Farewell
5 Lion's Eye
6 You Did That For Me
7 That Kind of Love
8 Talk Memphis
9 To Dance
10 Hallelujah
11 Pastures of Plenty
12 Something for the Pain

£12.99