Peter Walker reviewed
Peter Walker
Young Gravity
(Dangerbird)
Starsailor, wimpy already, have a knack for picking opening acts who seem to underscore that liability.
Peter Walker is not who you’d call a man’s musician, but as the air scrapes the back of his throat on “39 Stars” you at least know his boys have dropped. A modest singer-songwriter album with an ear for mid-’90s Tom Petty, Young Gravity sifts through standard chord arrangements with roadrash provided by his own tasteful production habits. The title track threatens to go beyond the album’s scope with a ballooning, stadium-chorus build up, and “Talk To You” comes off as something even Pete Yorn deemed too midtempo. His no-holds-barred account of immediately post-flood “New Orleans,” however, reveals a depth and self-editing skills he should bring out more often. Then he can make Starsailor his bitch.
— Steve Forstneger
Appearing: September 18th at Double Door in Chicago.
Click here to download a sample of “39 Stars.”
