Peter Bruntnell, Retrospective

Peter Bruntnell. Peter Bruntnell. How did I miss this guy? Well if you have too, or even if you haven't, you can get a really solid bead on who this man is and what he is about on a Retrospective (Blind Eye 002), culling together some prime cuts from 1995-2011, eight albums, it looks like(?), plus a newly remade version of "Played Out" with Sarah Joyce on vocals.

Alright, then. So we have his strong story-songs, each with vivid moods and what it looks like from Peter Bruntnell's head and heart about what it is to be alive. Neil Young and Jackson Browne come to mind as precursors, though Peter doesn't sound like them. He does have that epic melodic this-is-a-life-story way about his songs. There is some solid guitar wielding, too. This is rock song as art.

So what more to say, except that a few listens got me completely on his wave-length. It's a heavy collection of real, human song making!