Description
Making Light of It is the fifth studio album the American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Pierce Pettis, released in October 1996 as his first for the independent roots-label Compass Records. The album was produced by David Miner.
The song “You Move Me”, co-written by Pierce Pettis and Gordon Kennedy, won the 1999 ASCAP Country Music Award. It was originally recorded by Susan Ashton on her 1996-album A Distant Call, and later recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks as well (Ashton had opened for Brooks on the second leg of his 1994 European tour and provided harmony vocals on his 1997 tour of Ireland). “You Move Me” was released as the fourth single from Brooks’ 1998-album Sevens. Brooks’ version hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and reached No. 1 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.
Making Light of It also features songs co-written with Tom Howard, Dana Cooper, and Sally Barris, and Pettis also covers “Satellite Sky”, a song written by the late Mark Heard. Pettis’ Christmas song “Miriam” was later recorded by David Edwards on his album Christmas Carols Old and New, and as well covered by Jason Gray on the multi-artist Christmas project, Bethlehem Skyline.
Pierce Pettis has long been a respected guitarist and songwriter in both the contemporary folk and Christian music fields. He’s probably best known in this market for his association with Mark Heard, whose «Satellite Sky» kicks off this fine album. (Pettis’ 1991 album ‘Tinseltown‘ was produced by Heard, and he has previously recorded Heard’s «Nod Over Coffee».) On ‘Making Light of It’, Pettis offers a set of wry, provocative and soothing songs, all from a faith-based perspective.
The project opens with an enthusiastic version of Heard’s «Satelllite Sky». Pettis, who is a masterful storyteller in his own right, also has a self-deprecating sense of humor which is uniquely Southern. That’s easily detected in «My Life of Crime», wherein the singer compares his life as an itinerant entertainer to that of a criminal on the lam from the law: “I have held some people up/ I have robbed the stage/ With my trusty six-string/ I have made them pay.”
A fair amount of wit is also evident in «You Move Me», one of two songs Pettis co-wrote with Gordon Kennedy and a tune also cut by Susan Ashton on her last album, ‘A Distant Call‘. Pettis observes, “Here’s how life seems to me/ Life is just therapy/ Real expensive/ With no guarantees.” (So honest it hurts, but only a little.) Pettis’ more serious side comes through on «Love’s Gonna Carry Me Home», where he finds that “Amazing grace, big surprise/ Hits you right between the eyes/ Hits you hard, like a small flat stone/ Slays your giants and leads you home.”
Those who have followed Pettis’ career for the past 11 years know that his spare, finger-picking style is generally the centerpiece of his songs. But ‘Making Light of It’, recorded mostly in Nashville, also features the talents of Derri Daugherty and Steve Hindalong of The Choir, and producer David Miner, among others. Hindalong’s percussion parts in particular give new shadings to Pettis’ always innovative melodies and lyrics. [Bruce A. Brown, CCM, December 1996]
On ‘Making Light of It’, Pierce Pettis is joined by producer David Miner, who worked in T-Bone Burnett‘s band and also produced one of Elvis Costello’s albums. Pettis is a talented writer with an easy-going baritone voice… People are already calling Pettis’ new album his best release yet. I would probably agree with that, in terms of the quality of the material and the more tasteful, scaled back, intimate arrangements that allow the listener to focus better on Pettis and his songs. Pettis is one of a relative few performers who can bring a little religion into his music without being preachy. But the majority his songs deal with the perennial theme of personal relationships. His performance style is easy-going and appealing, and his lyrical wordcraft world-class… ‘Making Light of It’ underscores Pettis’ position as one of the bright lights on the contemporary singer-songwriter scene. [George Graham, WVIA, 11/20/96]
Singer/songwriter Pierce Pettis was a welcome visitor to this year’s Greenbelt of course. Pierce continues to carry the torch of incisive singer songwriting once borne by the late Mark Heard. Indeed, his fourth album kicks off with a stripped down rendition of one of Heard’s most popular songs – «Satellite Sky». The path of today’s folk singer leads inexorably from small town America to the neon of Nashville and all too often any acoustic accompaniment soon gets swamped by whatever sound is currently in vogue. Happily, Pettis has always managed to find producers sympathetic to his particular musical pilgrimage and none more so that David Miner from the legendary Alpha Band who on the impressive ‘Chase The Buffalo‘ album brought Pierce to the crossover zone between roots and AOR. It would appear that having sojourned for a while within the city limits, the pair have retreated like the outlaw of «My Life Of Crime» that Pettis professes to be, back to the hills where electricity is mainly restricted to the lightning on Lookout mountain. There they’ve been joined by Choirboys Derri Daugherty and Steve Hindalong who brought a percussive feel to this fine collection of letters from America. Alabama’s best-kept secret continues to match Cockburnish guitar work with delicate songs of both faith and life. [Chris Tozer, Cross Rhythms, October 1997]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/making-light-of-it/79774113)
CD tracklist:
01. Satellite Sky – 3:15
02. My Life of Crime – 3:36
03. Miriam – 4:09
04. Depending on Gravity – 2:28
05. Desiré – 3:45
06. Granddaddy Blew the Whistle – 1:58
07. Absalom, Absalom – 3:33
08. This Ain’t Love – 3:17
09. Affectionate Girl – 3:26
10. No Big Deal – 3:26
11. Hold on to That Heart – 3:48
12. You Move Me – 3:49
13. Love’s Gonna Carry Me Home – 1:54
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