Search - Eric Peters :: Miracle Of Forgetting

Something Old, Something New

Thomas H. Ayers | Bowie, MD United States | 08/23/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Eric Peters is a talented songwriter/singer/guitarist who first came to my attention through a promotional CD of Christian artists I'd never heard of. I explored his first two albums, More Than Watchmen and Land of the Living, with enthusiasm. I was taken with his story-songs and unpretentious yet clever songs of faith. (To my knowledge, no one else has written about faith from the point of view of a penny stuck in the sidewalk. No small feat. See "Small Change" from Land of the Living.) I was excited to learn of a new album coming out this year and bought it shortly after it was released.I consider Eric Peters to be foremost a gifted lyricist, and he doesn't disappoint. His third album, Miracle of Forgetting, contains some of his fine story songs (the soft, poignant story of a soldier in "These Three Remain" ("Faith, it is a soldier in the 82nd Corp..."), the easy-going parable of an uninspired racehorse "Waterloo" ("He was a has-been steed/running at break-neck speed/but all too oft forgot his purpose"), and "Son of Laughter", based on the story of Jacob), an unusual number of confessional songs (including "One Horse Town" about forgetting to love the one's we love, "Little By Little Things", "Dust to Dust" , and "Say Too Much", about that nasty habit of opening one's mouth too often), and a few declarative songs, such as the fine "The Maginot Line". My favorite songs are "The Ending" and "Vessel". "The Ending" is a song of hope and encouragement in the face of a day's hardships, and it shows how much Peters has matured as a songwriter ("Today came in earnest/with a smile on its face/wry as it was cunning/pure as it was base"). "Vessel" resonates with me strongly: a depiction of the Christian life as a leaky vessel that continues to sail forward anyway--the chorus is a prayer. Those who liked "I Know the Mountains" from Land of the Living will probably like this one, too. Overall, there's not a dud in the bunch. Musically, the album surprised me, because my initial impression was that Peters' acoustic guitar was taking a backseat to electric guitars and drums. I like his approach to guitar, and I was disappointed to find it buried in the mix. The net result is a harder, more driving sound for many of the songs, and this works especially well with songs like "Say Too Much" and "Love Is Real". Some of Peters' story-songs, such as "These Three Remain" and "Waterloo", return to the softer, acoustic approach that lends them a folksy, old-timey sound. Consequently, this album is a bit of the old and a bit of the new.Overall, I highly recommend this album. If you've never heard of him, I recommend that you consider trying either Land of the Living or Miracle of Forgetting.Final note: The song order is actually The Ending, Love is Real, Little By Little Things, These Three Remain, Dust to Dust, The Maginot Line, One Horse Town, Waterloo, Son of Laughter, Say Too Much, and Vessel. "I am the sword" is NOT on this album! (To my knowledge, Peters has not written a song with that title.)"