The blessing and curse of unsolicited promo discs and Vanessa Peters’ Kickstarter campaign
If you don’t regularly receive promo discs and zip files you probably wish you did and if you do there are definitely days when you wish you didn’t. A hobby becomes an unpaid job and you listen to hours of music you don’t like while you ignore your favorite discs.
But then you find the needle in the haystack, the jewel and remember that this is why you do it. You know that buried in that stack of discs there is music you might never hear that is simply too good to miss. And damn it, I hate that feeling.
I first heard Vanessa Peters in 2009 and wrote the following review that appeared over at HickoryWind:
Vanessa Peters‘ Sweetheart, Keep Your Chin Up may well be my 2009 disc of the year. It’s definitely in my Top 10. Vanessa’s written and recorded fourteen intelligent hook-filled folk-pop songs that dominate my “Top 25 Most Played” list on iTUNES. With an emotive voice (somewhere between Suzanne Vega and Laura Cantrell), Vanessa sings some of the most memorable personal lyrics I’ve heard from any singer-songriter: male or female. “Austin, I Made A Mess” chronicles her stab at a music career in Texas and the lyrics might sound bitter if she wasn’t so talented. “Drowning In Amsterdam” (well it could rain for days and then where would I be? tethered to this chair barely capable of gravity) and “The Grammar of a Sinking Ship” (It’s the meaning of the word that really matters more, it’s the action of the verb, I was tearing then I tore) are just two examples of her lyrical skills. Vanessa weaves melodies and mythology with references to 9/11, broken hearts, global warming, ships and the sea into a memorable mix that warrants repeat listens. You can call Sweetheart, Keep Your Chin Up folk, pop, alt country, literary music or Americana. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy and see for yourself.
Skeptical?
Here’s a video of Vanessa performing “Drowning In Amsterdam”.
You can also listen to tracks from Sweetheart, Keep Your Chin Up here.
I’ve been waiting for the follow up from Vanessa and recently discovered that she has a Kickstarter Project
Yes, I put my money where my mouth is and contributed to her New Record because Vanessa is that talented.
Note: Vanessa’s Kickstarter deadline is Sept 22nd.