Customer Reviews

Gretchen Peters

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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I bought Gretchen Peters's debut album, SECRET OF LIFE, back in 1996 when it was released on Imprint Records. I loved every track on it! I have always admired her songwriting abilities writing for many other artists. Among them are Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, Martina McBride, just to name a few. Her debut CD had me breathless with her angelic like vocals!! 5 years was too long to wait for her newest release but BOY am I happy it is here!!! She simply can sing anything!! 2 of the tracks I recognized. SOUVENIRS was recorded by Suzy Boggus a few years back and LIKE WATER INTO WINE was recorded by Patty Loveless for her LONG STRETCH OF LONESOME album! Each time I listen to Gretchen Peter's new CD I love it even more! She is a combination of country, folk and pop! She is OUTSTANDING!!!!! Everyone should try this CD out as well as her 1st if you can find it!!! BOTH ARE INCREDIBLE!!!! My only bit of advice to Gretchen is PLEASE do not keep us waiting another 5 years!!!!

Gretchen emerged in the mid-nineties as one of Nashville's finest songwriters. She has had many big country hit via other people's recordings of her songs but has never made it as a solo singer despite some brilliant recordings including this, her second album.

It's not difficult to see how Gretchen has made it as a songwriter - the lyrics are inspired. In the opening track (Souvenirs), Gretchen complains that souvenirs are only a substitute for real things, then tells her man that she doesn't want his souvenirs but that she wants the real thing. Great stuff! That song sets the pattern for the album, which seems to be a mix of dreams and reality. Another song here (Love is a drug) contains the great line - Romeo's on the Internet searching for his Juliet. Remember, this was at the start of the new millennium was the Internet was not as popular as it is now. There are many other brilliant songs here. Who could resist songs with such titles as Love and Texaco, Picasso and me or Eddie's first wife?

This is a fascinating album. I don't know why Gretchen isn't a major star. Perhaps she doesn't want stardom with all the pressures that would bring. In any case, she certainly lives comfortably on the royalties that her songs generate. Just occasionally, she releases an album full of her own songs, so that we can enjoy hearing her own versions of a few of her creations. This is one of them. If you enjoy contemporary country music, give Gretchen a listen.

This cd is one of the few pleasant surprises in music so far this year. Peters posesses a fine, clear soprano voice that is uniquely suited to her songs of the dreams and foibles of human nature. Among the standouts are "Picasso & Me", a moving ballad narrated by Pablo's cat; "Love & Texaco", about a woman looking back on a relationship; and "Lillies Of The Field", about a man who hooks up with a woman who wants the good life and doesn't care how she gets it. There are also a few great rockers on the album, including "In A Perfect World", which features Bryan Adams. If you like literate country/pop/rock like Linda Rondstadt, Trisha Yearwood, or even Melissa Etheridge, you will love this album.

This CD is one of the best I have heard in ages! One that touches your soul and makes you think. Her songs are uplifting and her vocals are as sweet as a summer's day.

If you buy this CD, you won't be sorry. Besides being a great singer and songwriter, she is a spectacular performer. I have seen her in concert numerous times over the past 5 years and should not be missed. This CD reached #7 in England.

After buying her previous album "Sercert of Life" (which you should also buy) I became and avid Gretchen Peters fan. I would scan the liner notes on ever album I bought looking for her writing credits to be listed. Finally, she released her follow up album..and it was worth the wait!

It is exciting to hear a songwriter interrupt her own songs. Gretchen is not only a great songwriter, shhe also has one of the most wonderful voices in country music. Her ability to evoke emotions in her songs is phenominal!

Some of the stand out tracks on the CD are Souvenirs, I Don't Know, Love Is A Drug, and Eddie's First Wife

Order it (and her first album "Secret of Life") Today!

Gretchen Peters' self-titled cd from 2000 is easily my favourite record. From the masterly first note of 'Souvenirs' you are in the hands of a perfect artist: you are taken on a quest for the Promised Land, the perfect world, the realisation of your ideals, the real thing -- and the journey is achingly beautiful. Every song surprises with a new perspective on the American dream of freedom and the pursuit of happiness, even if it's only the delusion that you can truly own a Picasso, and we are dropped at the end of all the album's roads onto a street at night with a band playing a plaintive hymn to life, 'Revival'. You have heard two of the most moving love songs ever, you have been made to think both of how robust and frail humans can be, how wise and yet how deluded we are, and how change and reaching out are what make us fully human, which is debatable, I know. If you truly listen to this record you will not find another worthy of following it, so it's the perfect record for last thing at night. If you are truly wise, this is the only record you'll ever need again.

Gretchen Peters wrote one of the best songs ever in "On a Bus to St. Cloud". Trisha Yearwood had a hit with it and Gretchen also recorded it on one of her earlier CD's. Peters new CD, Gretchen Peters feature more gems in the St. Cloud vein. Although, Gretchen does not have the pipes of Trisha, she has a good voice. The CD is produced well, and even though Peters is a little country, the production is more mainstream. However, this CD is about songs, wonderful songs of cars, love, and life. This is a very good CD if you love haunting melodies and wonderful lyrics. For some reason, Gretchen's past efforts have disappeared. So, if you want a taste of one of America's better songwriters - this one is it.

Faith Hill , Suzy Bogguss and Trisha Yearwood are just 3 of the top country artists who appreciate the songwriting ability of Gretchen Peters . She is also a fine performer in her own right as this album shows . Thoughtful lyrics sensitively performed make this an album you will still be playing long into the future .

I have just recently seen Gretchen Peters perform at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in Australia. I thought her voice was just fantastic and her music was great. I had never heard of her before and just happened to come accross her and thought she was really good. If she ever came out here again I would see her again. I can't wait to get this CD so I can listen to her at home.

Gretchen Peter's latest is pure poetry. No one else could cover such a wide range of topics in such a intelligent, emotional way. From young, optimistic love to love as an addiction to Amelia Earhart, the range of experiences on this CD is exceptional. The highlight may very well be the inspiration close, "Revival."

If you're a country music lover, you'll recognize a few of these songs as they were recorded by other artists.

Gretchen Peters is a rare treasure. You may wonder why she's not a bigger name, but are thankful she has never sold out and continues to deliver from her heart. If you enjoy stories set to music, you will love this CD.