Peter Kelly "Forever, Again"

Peter Kelly
"Forever, Again"
www.PeterKellyMusic.com
www.CDBaby.com/Artist/PeterKelly

CD review by Roger Zee (02/18/13)

Start with an Indie sensibility, add a dash of U2, a pinch of Ozzie, and a teaspoon full of late period Beatles. Mix well. Bake for years, and voila -- out pops Peter Kelly's debut EP, "Forever Again." Musicians include Peter Kelly (vocals, guitars, keyboards, percussion), John Campos (guitar, synthesizer, drum programming), Paul Briscoe (bass), John Besser (drums), Gia Piro (backing vocals). Kelly's sharp, ironic, and hypnotic lyrics hark back to old-school John Lennon and mesh perfectly with the crystal clear, superbly played and arranged music. John Compos' ethereal, adroitly layered production casts a spell that rivals that of the major labels.

Kelly's sardonic wit surfaces right away in the Beatlesque "Forever, Again." Shades of "Baby You're a Rich man." "So I don't believe that it's over. I don't believe it's the end. I want to be with you forever, again. If happily ever after could ever come after the end, then we'll be together forever, again." In the cryptic "May Flowers," death absconds with a lover. "Life is so unkind. It twists and turns us, bites and burns us and we're filled with holes that fleeing souls leave behind. And I would have gone like I explained, for me an April day it didn't rain but the May Flowers came for you." "Oz" embellishes the tale of "The Wizard of Oz" with gossamer guitars and a sturdy bass line. "We got over the rainbow. We walked on the yellow brick road. We got to the emerald city. We can say that there's no place like home. It don't look like Oz through desperate eyes. But it's all we ever wanted in disguise. Our hearts are broken, and we've lost our minds. We're scared to death, but we must be blind." U2 Sturm und Drang powers the angry "He Says, She Says. "Backs turned to each other, line drawn in the sand. Ten paces then turn around, fire on no command. We always come out blasting, like we have bullet proof skin. The scars are everlasting, but no one ever wins." The Ozzy-like "I'll Be Late" finds our hero leaving home, possibly forever! "Tell mother not to wait because I might not think to call. I'm headin' out and I'll be late, that's if I come back home at all." Doubt and insecurity run rife in "Maybe," featured on the soundtrack of the short film, "Thanks Dad," currently playing on the Starz channel. Accompanied only by piano, Kelly pours his heart out. "Maybe it's me. Maybe I just don't like what I see lately. Maybe the world don't like me. Yeah, I wonder what they all think about me lately. Maybe the world's not for me."

The wit and charm of "Forever, Again" engages the listener instantly and completely. The top notch writing, playing, and arranging ranks with the best. Beat your friends. Get wise to Peter Kelly right now!

©2013 Roger Zee