Peter Case - Live & Acoustic

This was just going to be a review of Peter Case’s La Java venue show in Paris this past March 17th but after buying his latest CD I couldn’t help but include a short review of this most excellent 2007 release as well. I had a short chat with him before the show and Peter seemed very much in good spirits and quite clear headed about it all. I believe this surety of spirit has been reflected not only in the concert but in the new record as well.
The concert in the historic La Java was a 2.5-hour ride through all the corners of American music. Everything from Jimi Hendrix and Dylan to Mississippi John Hurt and back to his own fine musings and precise observations, Case kept us involved and entertained. He’s also a really great guitarist, which I think folks sometimes overlook. This is not a musician who’s content with perfecting Nick Drake’s intricacies. This is a bluesman that leans into his instrument and digs for the good stuff. The evening was a powerful and assured performance by a talented and confident musician.

Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John is acoustic Case at his best. With guest appearances by Richard Thompson and Duane Jarvis (among others), the CD is uncluttered, very well recorded and a pleasure to listen to. I’ve never heard him sing so good either. I would call it folk music although I’m not sure exactly what the folk purists would say about it (although I would suspect grumblings abound). His music is as much a part of the rock and roll world as it is of the folk. There is aggressiveness about the music that can be unsettling to those timid souls who need their music gentled. He is very much the artist that is constantly in search of the perfect note. You can tell he’s scratching and clawing and always looking to reinvent himself and the songs that he sings.
The one word that I feel represents these new CD though is “restraint”. He has learned how to take the breath, hold back some and let the song move itself forward. A million miles of roadwork, 5,000 gigs and the fortitude to hang in there through it all shine through this artist’s songs, attitude, stories and presentation. The concert was and the CD is an inspiration.
With an interesting new biographical novel out about his early musical journeys (As Far As You Can Get Without A Passport and with an introduction by John Doe!) as well as doing the drawings for his CD artwork, Peter Case has upped his game and continues to reach for new and higher ground. My compliments and respect!

Bookerfatz2

PS- one of the best and most interesting artist sites on the net. I constantly drop in to check out his musings, writings, observations and tour diaries. Really! Check it out:

bloggn.petercase.com

Web: petercase.com
MySpace: myspace.com/petercase

Peter Case - Million Dollars Bail .mp3 from Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John (2007)
Peter Case - Wake Up Call .mp3
Peter Case - Ice Water .mp3

Bonus:
Richard Thompson - Dear Janet Jackson .mp3
Richard Thompson - For Whose Sake .mp3
John Doe - Golden State .mp3

Photo: P.S.Zollo