I like this guy. He's so simple. He's so... non-trendy. Yes, I know, folk music is going through a revival of sorts as a backlash against overproduced pop, and so being non-trendy is trendy... blah blah blah. Whatever. Andrew Peterson didn't invent or patent any particular style here, but he's put together one of the finest collections of folk songs I've ever heard.

I first heard of Andrew Peterson at a Caedmon's Call concert at the Los Angeles House of Blues almost three years ago. He and fellow folkster Bebo Norman were opening for the insanely popular college folk/rock band, and if I recall correctly, it was just Andrew and a guitar. This was while he and Bebo were still indie artists; before Caedmon's Call created a record label and signed the two artists. What I remember is that Peterson was definitely the more impressive of the two. He didn't wow his audience with anything terribly upbeat, but simply gave us a few lovely folk songs about his faith, his heritage, and so forth. We'd all heard it before, but somehow it worked for me. And what I heard there is what I get on this album.

According to Mr. Peterson's website, Andrew Peterson is a creative collective of sorts that also encompasses his wife Jamie Peterson and their friend Gabe Scott (who provide some lovely background vocals as well as an extra guitar; many additional instruments are provided by a host of other random folks, but the songs center around these main three players). They're not quite a band (good thing, or people would expect a clone of Caedmon's Call), but these three core members allow for more sonic depth than your usual solo folk artist provides. This helps to hold the attention of more rock-oriented listeners like me, who can get lulled to sleep if the sound is too sparse. Still, the real triumph of this album lies in Andrew Peterson's lyrics (why else would I have given this album five stars?)

All the Way Home is a gentle but upbeat way to begin this album, telling a story of Andrew's heritage over a simple bed of light drums and slightly muted guitar strumming. I would assume that the main character in the song who is leaving his family in the Midwest and setting out for Florida (Peterson's home state) is related on some level of great-grandfather-ness. It's a simple, upfront story that stops to thank God for his roots, admiring how his family has spread out and been "carried along" the entire time.

The Chasing Song keeps the pace up, gently sailing along on a pair of acoustic guitars as Peterson recounts the lives of several Biblical characters and what they devotes their lives to pursuing, be it family or money or lust or faith, and turning the question on himself, realizing that he seems selfish in comparison to some of the more faithful characters: "All I ever seem to chase is me." There is no grand moral to the story in this particular song; it's a simple testament to man's tenacity and God's grace.

Faith to Be Strong has a slower, slightly more traditional sound to it, and the simple cello playing that accentuates the song reminds me very much of Fernando Ortega (a highly respected but definitely mellow Christian folk artist). While the title seems to give away a fairly straightforward inspirational song, there is a deeper layer to the lyrics here, thanks largely to the clever and circular line "Give us faith to be strong, give us strength to be faithful". It is simple and yet theologically profound to realize that we cannot always muster the courage within ourselves to have the faith in God that we so desperately need - that faith is granted by God Himself.

Nothing to Say is probably the song that has had the most exposure out of any tune on this album, and rightfully so. Thanks largely to Gabe Scott's background vocals and the compelling references to the Arizona scenery, this song stops just short of resurrecting Rich Mullins from the grave (Rich lived on a reservation in Arizona right before he died). In some ways, it may be a purposeful tribute to a songwriter who obviously impacted Peterson greatly, since he even mentions hearing "Rich" on the radio as he and his wife take a detour through some gorgeous scenery. This song hits me on so many levels - it gives me visions of a young couple in love on a road trip all alone in the midst of breathtaking scenery, and what results from Andrew's silence is the mountains seeming to cry out in praise to God (a definite Biblical reference, but I've never quite considered it in such a positive context).

Love Enough has a slightly stronger beat to it (which is still light, since forceful percussion is not exactly a hallmark of this album), and just barely borders on a bouncier, poppier style until it reaches the chorus, which is most definitely country-styled with its slightly twangy guitar and banjo. It's not one of my favorites on the record, but it's still a solid track with clever lyrics ("In stubborn spite of my stubborn spite,�
I am loved nonetheless") and a decent story about a man who is down and out and realizes that he is in the perfect place for God to begin turning his life around.

The Coral Castle has a more haunting chord progression, and a sparse, almost echoing feel near the beginning. It tells a sad story of a Florida man who built a castle on the beach for a lost love, refusing to react to her in bitterness, but simply placing his monument to her and waiting for her to return to him (even though she never did). We never learn why the relationship didn't work out - Was she cheating? Was he too poor for her to feel secure? Were they just too young? Despite the lack of information and the almost obsessive resolve that "I don't need her love to love her all I can", I think there may be a veiled message here about God's love for humanity, given that this is an explicitly Christian album (but thankfully not in a way that beats you over the head with the Gospel).

Shiloh is definitely a song I remember from the concert all those years ago. It refers to the place where Andrew grew up, making the tried and true analogy between this childhood home and Heaven. The song seems to wander back and forth between 3/4 and 4/4 at odd times, but steady percussion ties it all together quite nicely, and the banjo that breaks in later in the song is just euphoric for a listener like me who just can't get enough of these folksy instruments (I don't get out of the chart-topping pop/rock world as much as I'd like to brag that I did).

Come, Lord Jesus seems like it would be a song about the Rapture, judging from the title, but thankfully, Peterson doesn't see the need to hit us with another dose of "Left Behind" hysteria. The song deals rather unflinchingly with hypocrisy in the church. It takes real guts to tell a story on a Christian album in which religious zealots are picketing outside a grocery store, proclaiming that "God hates f*gs" (ironic - the word shows up on a Christian CD and yet I can't use it here, I suppose it's a matter of context), and denouncing homophobia within the walls of the church. Of course, I think it's quite clear that Jesus is against all forms of bigotry, homophobia included, but this is a review, not a sermon. What I really appreciate is that Peterson uses the second verse to turn the microscope on himself and his own petty and hypocritical behavior, acknowledging that he is no more righteous than the zealots that disgust him so much. In the midst of it, he offers up a simple prayer for Jesus to make His presence known and tear away all of the sinful behavior, that the church may function with the integrity it was meant to.

Rise and Shine uses a hammered dulcimer quite prominently - this time there is no way you can possibly escape the ghost of Rich Mullins. (The beginning of the song, in fact, is almost uncomfortably similar to the classic Rich song "Creed".) It draw a rather strange comparison between Andrew's childhood and the world at the time of Jesus' birth that I haven't quite fully dug into yet. The musical backdrop is richly textured (no pun intended), so it still stands out as a great song. But as much as I love the hammered dulcimer, he would be wise not to use it too much in the future, lest he get caught in a vicious cycle of being expected to replace the beloved Mr. Mullins.

The Ninety and Nine is a smart way to close the album - a Celtic-flavored cover of a somewhat obscure hymn (at least, a hymn I'd never heard before). We've all heard the story that this hymn tells - the analogy between a lost sinner and the one missing sheep out of a flock of a hundred, where Jesus is the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to rescue the one. It's interesting to juxtapose this song with "The Chasing Song" - it's like an an ancient affirmation of the things that God loves to chase after. Once the final refrain is complete, the album ends on a definite high note with a lively jig, not unlike one of the instrumentals on The Corrs' first album. It all ended too soon for me - I was literally floored by what an excellent collection of songs I had just listened to, and I'm usually not terribly impressed with even some of my favorite artists upon first listen.

I loved this CD all the way through the first time, and now, seven or eight times later, I'm sticking to my story. I don't know what took me so long to get around to listening to this CD - chalk another one up for Napster, or I might never have gotten around to it. It won't blow you away with a barrage of catchy smash hit songs - but it will softly lull you into an awareness of God's presence in history, in nature, even in the midst of sin, while remaining interesting enough to not put you to sleep. (Though I'm sure that you could probably fall asleep to this quite easily if you were trying.) My only complaint is that there are only ten songs - they seem to neatly divided up and parcelled out for such a free-flowing album. But then again, I'm glad that the ten songs he picked were all solid ones - there's not a track on this album that I find to be irritating or embarassing, and that's rare these days.

I would recommend giving Andrew a try if you like the softer side of Caedmon's Call or even Jars of Clay, as well as Chris Rice, Bebo Norman, or Fernando Ortega. Oh, yeah, and that Rich Mullins guy. I wonder if he's had a chance to hear this album yet over in Shiloh.

TRACK REVIEW SUMMARY
Excellent: Nothing to Say, Shiloh, Rise and Shine, The Ninety and Nine
Good: All the Way Home, The Chasing Song, Come Lord Jesus
Decent: Faith to be Strong, Love Enough, The Coral Castle
Weak: NONE
Skippable: NONE

Group Members:
Andrew Peterson - Lead vocals, acoustic guitars, mandolin
Jamie Peterson - Background vocals
Gabe Scott - Background vocals, acoustic guitars, accordion, hammered dulcimer

Website: http://www.andrew-peterson.com

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Reading or Studying