Customer Reviews

Earth Town Square

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When we praise the "poetry" of songwriters, the standard is usually not very high. We can be pretty pleased when a song rises a bit above the banal. This CD is, however, musical poetry of an entirely higher sort. Peter Mayer's songwriting is a treat. Felicitous images flow in an unbroken,delightful stream.

Start with the first cut on the CD. "Ocean Mary" is a woman who lives by a magic stream. She has a dream: "She imagined that, inside, stirred all the waters of the earth. Every puddle, every creek and every one of the Seven Seas. She could feel the fishes roam in her fingers and her toes. And in her chest, the Gulf Stream flow."

That would be enough to recommend this remarkable album, but Mayer's singing is just as pleasing. He has a clear, resonant voice that reminds me of James Keelaghan. I've been so swept away by the lyrics and singing that I have paid less attention to his guitar skills, but he's good.

There's more. Mayer is a wonderful tunesmith, at least to judge by this CD. One of my favorite tunes is "Blue Boat Home," a highly singable and fetching melody that perfectly matches the elegaic sentiments of the song.

Maybe other people are luckier than I am, but I don't find albums I enjoy this much very often. Discovering Earth Town Square is perhaps the nicest thing to happen to me lately. Peter Mayer has created an album that is like a great friend. It has a lot to say and a wonderful way of saying it. You just love spending time with it.

This man is brilliant. Listening to his work is one great discovery after another.

First you hear a lovely song - nice tune, maybe some catchy lyrics - and you smile and tap or hum along.

Then you really listen to the lyrics and you hear layers of meaning - funny wordplays and intellectual ideas that no ordinary songwriter could touch. (When is the last time you heard a song about physics that captured the essence of some complicated scientific concepts, had spiritual resonance, and was fun to listen to? Probably never - until you've heard 'World of Dreams' from Bountiful.)

Then you see him play live and you realize that nearly all of those wonderful sounds are coming from one man with one guitar. Percussion, melody, you name it and he's playing it all at the same time. But that's not to say that his sound is bare - quite the contrary! He knows when to bring in maracas, accordians, mandolins, or other instruments to augment his amazing guitar and compelling voice without overwhelming them.

The end result is funny, smart, and above all beautiful. Metaphysical lullabies and sailing songs, humorous warnings about magic water, spiritual carnies, the simple joys the county fair, and a perfect Thanksgiving holiday tune to top it off. This album is his best yet.

This is a worthy studio follow-up to his live cd, Elements, (which is beautiful, funny and touching all on it's own.) Peter Mayer is a brilliant guitarist, with a gentle kind of humor that can be appriciated at all ages. He is an excellently original songwriter... he sounds like no other...This cd is a real treat... all original, beautiful, calming and occasionally funny music. His live coffeehouse performances are once-in-a-lifetime experiences... he is so easy to talk to, and comfterble on stage....

Peter is equally gifted in all areas of his craft. His songwriting is deep and passionate, clever and accessible, emanating from a mind that is sublimely curious about life, love, science, and people, and a heart that skips a beat in wonder at the miracle of it all. On top of this he is a superb guitar player and has a compelling and lovely voice. At one concert I heard an audience member saying they'd come from three states away to hear him -- and I know why. It's not just the way he performs or writes; it's the way he thinks. I would recommend this album to anyone, of any age. He will lift you up from your life!

Simply put, Peter Mayer is astoundingly meaningful. The message of his songs would be great poetry alone. The music of his songs would be great instrumentals alone. The combination is engaging, highly listenable, and soul touching. Favorite tracks are Awake (I'm a parent so no surprise this song touches me), The Play, Crawl In (the parent thing again), Winter Woods (for anybody who has skiied or snow-shoed in a snow blanketed forest), and Coming Home (very Minnesota in feeling, not explicitly directed at troops, but I imagine this song as coming from one of our National Guard troops looking forward to a fall return to Minnesota after the hot deserts of Iraq). I often find I put this CD on and listen to it for a full day!

To think that Peter plays "behind" Jimmy Buffett. It just goes to show that their is no equal for just being in the right place at the right time. The though of them going head to head on a equal stage ------ not a fair contest!!

Peter Mayer's beautiful words and arrangement of the hymn HYFRYDOL by Rowland Prichard was what drew me to this well-crafted CD. The other tunes only add to this very musical CD. Clear voiced, beautiful acoustic work, and lyrics that stand out make this a CD I can sit back and listen to, or many times I just grab my harmonica and play along. Mayer is a terrific musician.

I bought this CD a while back as it came highly recommended by a friend. I only like it more as time goes on. The song "Blue Boat Home" has become one of my favorites.

This song writer deserves a grammy. His lyrics are so appropos to our time. His musical ability is stellar.