Search - Chameleons :: Ascension

Outstanding country singer-songwriter

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 05/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gretchen emerged in the mid-nineties as one of Nashville's finest songwriters. She has had many big country hit via other people's recordings of her songs but has never made it as a solo singer despite some brilliant recordings including this, her second album.



It's not difficult to see how Gretchen has made it as a songwriter - the lyrics are inspired. In the opening track (Souvenirs), Gretchen complains that souvenirs are only a substitute for real things, then tells her man that she doesn't want his souvenirs but that she wants the real thing. Great stuff! That song sets the pattern for the album, which seems to be a mix of dreams and reality. Another song here (Love is a drug) contains the great line - Romeo's on the Internet searching for his Juliet. Remember, this was at the start of the new millennium was the Internet was not as popular as it is now. There are many other brilliant songs here. Who could resist songs with such titles as Love and Texaco, Picasso and me or Eddie's first wife?



This is a fascinating album. I don't know why Gretchen isn't a major star. Perhaps she doesn't want stardom with all the pressures that would bring. In any case, she certainly lives comfortably on the royalties that her songs generate. Just occasionally, she releases an album full of her own songs, so that we can enjoy hearing her own versions of a few of her creations. This is one of them. If you enjoy contemporary country music, give Gretchen a listen."

She has got me hooked!

Heather Burwell | Omaha, NE USA | 07/31/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After buying her previous album "Sercert of Life" (which you should also buy) I became and avid Gretchen Peters fan. I would scan the liner notes on ever album I bought looking for her writing credits to be listed. Finally, she released her follow up album..and it was worth the wait! It is exciting to hear a songwriter interrupt her own songs. Gretchen is not only a great songwriter, shhe also has one of the most wonderful voices in country music. Her ability to evoke emotions in her songs is phenominal!Some of the stand out tracks on the CD are Souvenirs, I Don't Know, Love Is A Drug, and Eddie's First WifeOrder it (and her first album "Secret of Life") Today!"

The perfect record for last thing at night

conor | near London | 06/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gretchen Peters' self-titled cd from 2000 is easily my favourite record. From the masterly first note of 'Souvenirs' you are in the hands of a perfect artist: you are taken on a quest for the Promised Land, the perfect world, the realisation of your ideals, the real thing -- and the journey is achingly beautiful. Every song surprises with a new perspective on the American dream of freedom and the pursuit of happiness, even if it's only the delusion that you can truly own a Picasso, and we are dropped at the end of all the album's roads onto a street at night with a band playing a plaintive hymn to life, 'Revival'. You have heard two of the most moving love songs ever, you have been made to think both of how robust and frail humans can be, how wise and yet how deluded we are, and how change and reaching out are what make us fully human, which is debatable, I know. If you truly listen to this record you will not find another worthy of following it, so it's the perfect record for last thing at night. If you are truly wise, this is the only record you'll ever need again."