Till I Turn Blue by Peggy James
'Till I Turn Blue' by Peggy James
Many songwriters reach a plateau and remain there—until they slip downhill. Peggy James continues to climb on her seventh album, Till I Turn Blue, reaching new peaks several times.
Inevitably, James will be called Americana. The description is correct some of the time. Sure, a trace of the Dust Bowl clings to her voice and a rodeo rider gallops into “First Kiss.” The album includes the old-school honky-tonk heartbreak of “Stuck on the Track” and, as if in contrast, “So Over You” is confidently contemporary country and crying no tears. In the old days, the ‘70s, the critics would have called it country rock.
But that’s only part of the story. Pulled by the horsepower of hard rock guitars, the melody of “Loneliest Girl” becomes pure Badfinger. “Walk with You” contains many elements of classic ‘60s pop with a hint of Roger McGuinn jingle-jangle. The powerful guitar line of the album’s opening track, “Compensation,” frames James’ story with the moodiness of Chris Isaak, but the idea of the song as a story brings us back around again to country music. Like the best Nashville writers, James has a remarkable gift for telling stories in under four minutes and the specificity of “Compensation’s” shattered dreams and broken marriage set it apart from a thousand similar narratives. The song’s female protagonist “had big plans, she was going to be a veterinarian,” a daring rhyme that works because of her straightforward delivery.
Producer, lead guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Jim Eannelli can be credited for helping lift Till I Turn Blue beyond easy categories, adding sonic dimension at every turn.
