Tired
of Britney-flavored Christian pop? Charlie Peacock is the way to go, and "Everything
That's on My Mind" is a good place to start.
Smartishly
poetic, tightly played and produced, this will be one of CP's album's referred
to as a great one. He brings in a candid, vulnerable heart, akin to what you hear
from the late, great Rich Mullins, but with more complex, thoughtful lyrics. There's
a Phil Keaggy/Beatlesque influence to some of the melodies. Fans of Daniel Amos,
the 77s, and even the Lost Dogs will hear a sound they like. There is enough good
old guitar rock to please John Mellencamp fans, and enough piano to make Michael
W Smith fans happy.
I've
had the pleasure of seeing Charlie Peacock play off this album when it first came
out in 1995. It was in a gym of a small Christian college in Illinois, but he
played like he was at the Kennedy Center. He brings that energy to this CD.
"William
and Maggie" has always been a favorite for me, talking about their love for
each other as they grow older and they recall some of the tough times they've
had, "...He turned to his wife and he whispered/ 'Remember when I was young
and you were Maggie?'" They encourage each other, noting they've had some
pretty good times along they way.
The
chorus still hits me, "Cause I been thinkin' about you and me and everybody
in between/ It seems we've suffered one too many dreams/ Of things that weren't
so bad, it's just/ They were never things that we could trust/ Are we still pretending
they're enough?"
As
he sings in "Monkeys at the Zoo," regarding how he wants his work as
a musician to be for the Lord, and admitting he hasn't always been working with
pure motives, "I have been a whoring after things cause I wanna get everything
right/ That's a big fat lie/ No amount of green, gold or silver, the perfect body,
another hot toddy/ Work for the Lord, fame & power, power and sex." It
holds a power that sometimes gets lost in today's market-driven CCM music business.
Charlie
Peacock has varied along the alternative art rock scale. "Everything That's
on My Mind" is on that continuum, but closer to pop than his earlier work,
but as poignant as his "West Coast Diaries."
I
fully recommend "Everything That's on My Mind" by Charlie Peacock.
Anthony
Trendl
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