I want to start with a disclaimer.  Being a professional musician, I often get asked to listen to music by people that think I can help them get a record deal or an opening slot on a tour.  This is potentially an awkward situation.  More times than not, the music is not very good and I truly don’t want to be the one to break the news to them.  Besides, it’s just my opinion anyway.  However, there are those rare occasions when I encounter a project or a writer that needs no disclaimer.  Andrew Peterson is one of those writers, and his latest project, The Far Country , is one that I relish the chance to review and share with you.

I met Andrew Peterson after a Caedmon’s show in Knoxville, TN, about eight years ago.  Derek Webb (former member of Caedmon’s Call) had heard some of his music and gave us the heads up about Andrew coming to the show and that we needed to meet this guy.  Well, we went to dinner afterwards and that was the beginning of a great friendship.  We all quickly grew to love Andrew and his talent for songwriting. 

If you have ever seen Andrew in concert, you know that he has a knack for getting himself in awkward situations, usually as a result of something he has said off the top of his head.  You might say this is part of his charm.  This charm is evident in his songwriting.  Whether he writes a song about a penny, his family, or even death, his charm yields a great perspective and can make the gloomiest subject matter ooze with joy.  Andrew is the kind of songwriter that makes me want to sit down and start writing songs. With each project, he has continued to better himself at the craft of songwriting and I believe The Far Country is his best work yet.

There are so many refreshing aspects to The Far Country. The first thing that stood out was the quality of Andrew’s vocals.  They are very relaxed and have a rich tonal quality that hasn’t always been there.  Secondly, many of these songs just, for lack of a better word, rock.  Andrew didn’t hold back on anything production-wise.  As a drummer this makes me happy.  Singer/songwriters often shy away from letting a song get big, or rock out, when it needs to.  Lyrically each song is strong and you are drawn in to each story.  The beauty is that the production only adds to it.  This, in my opinion, is what makes a great album.  A good song is a good song even if it is produced poorly, but when it’s produced well… it’s magic.

With each song on The Far Country I get a better understanding of who Andrew is and I believe this is an important aspect of connecting with the music.  I have said for years that when an artist is passionate about what they do and they do it well, something inside you senses this passion and you connect.  This is what is so powerful about music, it’s much more than style or taste, it’s spiritual and in Andrew’s case it is worship.  I’ll save my explanation on that for a later date.  For now, I have no doubt that you will love this album.  Andrew is as genuine a person as the music is genuinely good and I believe this will make for a most pleasurable listening experience.

© 2005, Todd Bragg.

To order A Far Country, go see Andrew himself (here).

To catch Andrew Peterson in concert, check his tour dates (here).