VANESSA PETERS
FOXHOLE PRAYERS
IDOL RECORDS
GET STARTED–BEFORE IT FALLS APART–FIGHT–LUCKY–THIS RIDDLE–FOXHOLE PRAYERS–JUST ONE OF THEM–CARNIVAL BARKER–TROLLS–WHAT YOU CAN’T OUTRUN
Dallas-based singer/songwriter Vanessa Peters ramps up her already plentiful creative talents and takes them to a new level on her latest release for Idol Records, “Foxhole Prayers.” The ten originals included herein run the collective gamut, emotionally, from love, anger, empowerment, fighting back, and everything in between. The funny thing about this whole set is that Vanessa always wanted to do an album based on the greed, lust, and excesses that accompanied Fitzgerald’s “Great Gatsby” era, but always thought it to be a bit too far-fetched. However, given the sociopolitical divisiveness permeating the country, she felt the timing couldn’t be better. Ok, readers, caveat time–Vanessa pulls no punches, so if you can’t stand the heat, get the Hell outta my kitchen–I believe I hear Hannity calling you.
Vanessa gets started with, er, um, “Get Started,” a philosophical look at the fleeting brevity of life, where we will eventually need “every second” featuring jangly guitar from Federico Ciancabilla. “Fight” is a strong female empowerment anthem, urging people not to be afraid to “show your need,” and “bring ’em to their knees.” An Armageddon-ish intro defines the title cut, which tackles the “sky falling all around us,” and “surrounded by this fear,” where prayer becomes our heroine’s last hope.
We had two favorites, too. Name-checking the endless stream of talking heads and even the Teapot Dome Scandal, Vanessa warns us, as history has shown, “you get the circus if you vote for the clown,” filling their coffers at the expense of Main Street, USA. “Trolls” follows, offering a sliver of hope for redemption, where “the bullies always lose, but it’ll take a long time to beat them.”
Vanessa Peters’ voice stands strong amidst a country struggling for its identity in “Foxhole Prayers.” Along with powerful looks at the human condition in today’s society, she offers up some of the best protest songs from any of the current crop of contemporary artists. Bravo! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow, The Nashville Blues Society.
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