Description
No Man’s Land is the ninth vocal studio album by the American singer, songwriter, keyboardist, and producer Charlie Peacock, independently released by Peacock on his own Twenty Ten Music in October 2012. It was the veteran singer-songwriter’s first vocal recording in 12 years. The album was recorded at Peacock’s home studio, The Art House, a restored hundred-year-old church in Nashville, Tennessee. Front cover art by visual artist Wayne Brezinka. (The making of the No Man’s Land album cover art.)
The album, which began its gestation over a three-day break between other productions, is the culmination of a lifetime of making music. ”For anyone with the desire to, I wanted this record to be the kind you could really get lost in. It s filled with the sonic imprint of an era past: the sound of American musicians who worked hard to make a life, make a new kind of music, make a nation. There’s pedal steel meets a horn section, there’s too much drinkin’ and thinkin’, fiddles wail, there’s a kiss like a peach, and of course, there’s the usual waiting on the voice of the Lord.”
Some albums are like hussies in bars, grabbing you with their bold hooks and demanding your attention. Others are shy, deep things that want to take you into a snug corner with a long drink and let you into their life story. They slowly reveal their loveliness and make you want to spend the rest of your life with them.
Peacock has produced both, but this is particularly shy-and-deep. When I first heard this via a stream, I felt disappointed that he had moved away from the rock feel of his rather splendid 1999 release Kingdom Come (his last album, excluding a couple of very different jazz releases). I switched off the stream and discarded the idea of covering the release. However, I did not turn down the review CD when it came my way and halfway through the disc, I turned it off again. This time it was because I knew that this would be a richly rewarding album that would take time to get to know, and I wanted to give it the proper attention.
Almost every listen has brought out new pleasures or given me a deeper joy in hearing it. With the quality of its production and mix, No Man’s Land is the sort of collection that you take with you to try out a new piece of hi-fi. Peacock’s musical judgement is simply immense.
In moving away from the rock and jazz formats that have characterised most of his career, he has embraced a broad Americana, rich in Southern warmth. There is a new extensive use of brass, fiddle and pedal steel, used so deftly that you know just why he has been awarded a grammy for his production work.
It kicks off with «Death Trap», a song about speaking in anger, whose rising three-note riff is the backbone to an exuberant mix of brass, lap steel, slide and accordion – as well as a deep rumble that sounds like that the start of an earthquake. Peacock certainly uses the full dynamic range.
The title track has an autobiographical feel, as Peacock traces his grandparents’ roots in Louisiana. It’s gentle, with a natural chorus and the odd lyrical twist. “This is my story / My story is my glory; my shame, my comfort, my hurt / It’s all that I’ve got / all that I’ve never had.” After four minutes, it bursts into party mode with some New Orleans piano and a mix of other sounds from the region. I won’t describe the individual instruments, because he picks out what he needs when he needs it. Suffice it to say that the whole disc is a masterfully-mixed collection that becomes a glorious whole.
But you could say the same thing about his lyrics, which honestly embrace all of life, earthily and with a longing for an authentic experience of God. Whereas Kingdom Come was a project that spoke about God’s Kingdom from the king to his children, conveying Christian upside-down values with the depth of a conference speaker, No Man’s Land comes from the human side of the relationship and looks for the father in the messiness of human life.
On this album, words and music come together more naturally than ever before, with melodies that coax their way inside of your being and never more so than on a song that Peacock wrote for a film soundtrack, «Till My Body Comes Undone». Sometimes, his words hit a soft spot in me and I relish someone else sharing the same depths that I experience. It’s an unprecocious song that could have been plucked from Dylan’s back catalogue. He sings, “I’ve had my hand in everything and nothing at all / I’m running like a whirlwind, while waiting for the call / I’m tripping in the darkness, lit up like the sun / I’m falling for a vision till my body comes undone” – and then the final punch: “I’m swimming in the blessing, not waiting round to die.”
A song to his wife follows, apologizing for missing a train because he was drinking with a man from Texas “who had been all over the world and the world had not been kind to him.” This one is not as deep as its predecessor, but it is a perfect marriage of text and tune that you have to sing along to. It’s also as vividly pictured as a movie scene.
Still there’s more: «Ghost of the Kitty Cat» starts with guitar that could be the Doobie Brothers, but very soon turns into a finger-clicking blend of big band, Little Feat and songs from a host of Bublé-like crooners. It’s very light-hearted, as is «Let the Dog Back in the House», a relationship song that also features pets. More seriously, he wrestles with letting faith have its way on «Kite in a Tree» (which has some Washburn-like banjo): the over-facing feast of lyrics climax with “If belief is only a construct, my own little thumb suck / Then I’m a kite in a tree, a kite in a tree.“
Oh, and not forgetting «Voice of the Lord», which parodies Ray Charles’ «Hit the Road Jack» while also echoing Psalm 23… and several other noteworthy songs… all delivered in that voice of scuffed velvet.
It’s not just that there are no weak tracks here; some songs are so striking that you suddenly realise that they’ve outshone something that would stand out on a lesser project. Having waited thirteen years for this, I’m so glad it didn’t pass me by. Never mind Barton Hollow, give the man a Grammy for this! [Derek Walker, The Phantom Tollbooth, November 2012]
“Here I am again with a word from my maker,” a quote from the track «Beauty Left The Room», sums up the new album. Having followed Charlie Peacock since his days with Vector I was highly expectant of this project. ‘No Man’s Land’ sees a welcome return to making his own music. The album does not have the musical variety of ‘Love Life‘, the spiritual lyrical drive of ‘Kingdom Come‘ or the autobiographical slant of ‘The Secret Of Time‘ but has sufficient variety and content to ensure it will never become a forgotten album in the Charlie Peacock catalogue. Musically varying tempos feature strong Americana influences, with violins and steel guitars evident on many songs sitting alongside rockier tracks, with even a tango thrown in. The lyrics have both the Bible and life as their influence. The subjects range widely from managing your tongue in «Death Trap», doubt and the need for prayer in «Only You Can», what is faith in «Kite In A Tree», ageing, true love and depression also featuring. A humorous touch in «Let The Dog Back In» when two singers ask if the dog will be distressed if the couple stop arguing, so it’s probably better to leave the dog tied up in the yard! No idea what «Ghost Of The Kitty Cat» is about but it’s a song that will cheer you up as you sing along. I now know what America smells like – “burnt toast and repetition.” Listen to «Beauty Left The Room» to find out more. Charlie gives a lyrical nod towards «Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa» in «Thinking Till The Crack Of Dawn» and Kate Bush’s «Hounds Of Love» also gets a name check. Excellent musicianship is shown throughout though that is only to be expected from one of the industry’s great producers while Charlie’s ability to write melodies which get right into your head. As an artist Charlie has been away too long. Hopefully we won’t have to wait 13 more years for the next outing. [Chris Webb, Cross Rhythms, February 2013]
> iTunes (https://music.apple.com/us/album/no-mans-land-deluxe/1547025987)
CD tracklist:
01. Death Trap – 4:04
02. Mystic – 5:20
03. Voice Of Tthe Lord – 4:45
04. Kite In A Tree – 6:36
05. Deep Inside A Word – 5:33
06. Let The Dog Back In The House – 3:07
07. Beauty Left The Book – 4:49
08. Till My Body Comes Undone – 6:01
09. Thinkin’ Till The Crack Of Dawn – 4:59
10. Ghost Of The Kitty Cat – 3:13
11. Only You Can – 4:04
12. Satellites – 4:35
Note: Also released as a 12-inch vinyl double LP featuring one bonus track; “Death Trap (Red Bone Acoustic Mix)”.
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