Home  |  Hi-Fi Audio Reviews  Audiophile Shows Partner Mags  News       

 

 

Enjoy the Music.com Review Magazine

Pirece Pettis
State of Grace

Review by Steven Stone
Click here to e-mail reviewer

CD Stock Number: Compass Records 7 4315 2

 

  Pierce Pettis writes good songs, good southern songs. State of Grace, his sixth release, displays both his songwriting mastery and his performing expertise. The title cut "State of Grace" has poignant lyricism combined with an anthemic quality that is totally captivating. Here's an example of his elegant lyrics "Oh I hear the call of the whippoorwill as the moonlight falls over cotton fields. And if I die before I wake, I will lay me down in a state of grace."

Eleven of the thirteen songs on State of Grace are written or co-written by Pettis. Only Mark Heard's "Rise from the Ruins", and Bob Dylan's "Down in the Flood" break the run of all-original material. Both are more than merely "covers". The Dylan tune comes off sounding like a freshly discovered Robert Johnson blues tune, complete with driving bass line, rustic finger-picking, and gritty slide guitar.

State of Grace is anything but a solo effort. Pettis is joined by Lynn Williams on drums, Gary West on bass, Tim O'Brien on mandolin and bouzouki, Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Colin Linden on electric and slide guitar, Clive Gregson on Hammond B-3, John R. Barr on piano, Alison Brown on banjo, Claire Lynch, Gordon Kennedy, and Jonell Moser on harmony vocals. Producer Gary West and engineer Dave Sinko envelope Pettis' songs in a rich natural sonic aura that is clean without sounding too slick or over-processed. Even the packaging is special, with delicate balance between rustic primitiveness and sophisticated graphics. 

Anyone who says that good songwriting is a lost art should listen to State of Grace. Pierce Pettis is among a select few who still know how to write a song that means something.

 

 

Enjoyment: 90

Sound Quality: 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     
 

Quick Links


Premium Audio Review Magazine
High-End Audiophile Equipment Reviews

 

Equipment Review Archives
Turntables, Cartridges, Etc
Digital Source
Do It Yourself (DIY)
Preamplifiers
Amplifiers
Cables, Wires, Etc
Loudspeakers/ Monitors
Headphones, IEMs, Tweaks, Etc
Superior Audio Gear Reviews

 

 


Show Reports
HIGH END Munich 2024
AXPONA 2024 Show Report
Montreal Audiofest 2024 Report

Southwest Audio Fest 2024
Florida Intl. Audio Expo 2024
Capital Audiofest 2023 Report
Toronto Audiofest 2023 Report
UK Audio Show 2023 Report
Pacific Audio Fest 2023 Report
T.H.E. Show 2023 Report
Australian Hi-Fi Show 2023 Report
...More Show Reports

 

Videos
Our Featured Videos

 


Industry & Music News

High-Performance Audio & Music News

 

Partner Print Magazines
audioXpress
Australian Hi-Fi Magazine
hi-fi+ Magazine
Sound Practices
VALVE Magazine

 

For The Press & Industry
About Us
Press Releases
Official Site Graphics

 

 

 

     

Home   |   Hi-Fi Audio Reviews   |   News   |   Press Releases   |   About Us   |   Contact Us

 

All contents copyright©  1995 - 2024  Enjoy the Music.com®
May not be copied or reproduced without permission.  All rights reserved.