Search - Peter Mulvey :: Trouble With Poets

Haunting voice, amazing guitar playing . . . and mystery

ladygwyneth | Birmingham, AL United States | 01/24/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Almost two years ago I saw Peter Mulvey perform at an outdoor music festival and immediately bought this album. Never have I seen a contemporary singer-songwriter whose music was so rich, so full of original ideas and images, so devoid of cliches, and so full of mystery. Even after almost two years of listening, I never get tired of the songs because they still make me think and wonder. "Wings of the Ragman" is my favorite -- a dead man reaching out to implore the living to see what's around them. "Every Word Except Goodbye" is a most unusual will, an accounting of what should be given to whom. I love the lyrics, "Give my arms to your waist," and "Keep for yourself the thought of my favorite sin." Why, oh why is someone this talented -- as songwriter, singer and guitarist -- not more famous? Why are his songs not played on the radio? This is the kind of music I want to hear when I turn on the radio!"

This music is magic ...

ladygwyneth | 05/03/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Peter Mulvey records only great CDs, and The Trouble with Poets is another winner. It starts with songwriting that is masterful, astonishingly wise and mature for a man just 30 years old, who only recently added musician/producer David "Goody" Goodrich to the songwriting mix. Though Mulvey's writing is often labeled dark, these songs vary in tempo, in instrumentation, and in mood. There is hope here, and compassion, in songs like Tender Blindspot, Wings of the Ragman, and Home. One also finds pain, introspection, paranoia, and flights of fancy (hey hey hey): just another walk in the park of these creative minds. The execution is equally fine. Mulvey's guitar playing is legendary, and Goodrich sprinkles effective instrumentals all over the album -- in addition to producing it with flare and skill. The result is the delicate acoustic Home, the special effects on Bright Idea, the flowing musicality of Ragman, and a delightful mandolin feature on the only cover on the CD, You Meet the Nicest People in Your Dreams. Guest vocalists make valuable contributions as well, but holding it all together is Mulvey's rich, soft, and very expressive voice. This is a hard-working musician with enormous talent. Buy the CD; discover a new obsession."

A dance on the Dark Side

Dave | Jamesville, NY USA | 04/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"To portray Peter Mulvey as one of the myriad under-recognized singer-songwriters is accurate, but insufficient. To describe the man and his music (which are inseparable) as Lou Reed meets Bruce Cockburn with a dash of American Music Club's laconia might give the unfamiliar listener a glimpse of Mulvey's edgy noir folk. This is risky, no-holds-barred, soul-bared, bardic wonderfulness. The album opens with the punchy title track, then meanders like a stream into an ever darkening and foreboding abyss. Kind of like Martin Sheen's upstream sojourn in "Apocalypse Now." Lyrically razor sharp and delivered with a twist here and a snap there, the man and his muse come through unfiltered and unadulterated. Highly recommended for those willing to take a walk on the edge, looking down all the way."