For his 17th album, Milwaukee expat Peter Mulvey draws inspiration from retreating to the forest to recover from heartbreak. The results are 13 sonic sketches of varying lengths rooted in his confessional singer-songwriter approach but absorbing jazz, klezmer and country touches. On occasion, his picking replicates how an acoustic guitar can best negotiate a drone without bringing feedback into the equation. The meditative nature of Mulvey's playing matches ruminative lyrics that come off primarily as self-talk to nurture a wounded soul. Well-spoken and worldly as Mulvey is, he weaves literary references, pantheism and other philosophical and experiential miscellanea into songs of restoration and contemplation.
With a push in the right direction, World could grant Mulvey entry into higher echelons of Americana and adult alternative radio acceptance than his current association with Righteous Babe, the label founded by modern folk music doyenne Ani DiFranco, may have already allowed him. Whether or not World broadens its creator's demographic reach, it should offer listeners a sophisticated salve for their own times of romantic loss.
