Peter Rogan’s biography describes him as a “guitarist/singer/songwriter/steelworker.” The debut album from the 57-year-old Philadelphia native and two-time finalist in the Great American Song Contest will be released Friday, March 1. In the mid ’80s, Rogan moved to New York City to study jazz, but it was a 2014 songwriting camp that proved to be the kick he needed to take the plunge into making the album.
Collaborating with Nashville/Americana heavyweights Will Kimbrough and Phil Madeira and recording at John Prine’s Butcher Shoppe Recording Studio, Rogan lays out an even dozen songs that balance hip-shaking grooves with lyrics that draw from keen observation.
“Big Green Rambler” is a funky addition to the canon of automobile as metaphor tunes. “Kickin’ the Can” finds distorted vocals and snarling slide guitar buoyed by Hammond B3 organ. The cautionary tale of desperation of procrastination features a rising female vocal choir that could have been lifted from vintage Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The collection of songs carries a humid sound. Rogan comes off as a nice guy with a bit of an edge and an eye out for interesting situations. “The Rolling Mill Blues’” stomping up-tempo boogie groove is his take on a down-tempo work experience—his day gig as an electrician at a Pennsylvania steel mill. “Mercy,” the album’s grand, smoldering tour de force, features Rogan on slide guitar as it builds and falls in dynamics. A Great American Song Contest finalist, “Song for Keith” is an instrumental jazz ballad featuring flugelhorn that showcases the breadth of Rogan’s compositional talent.
