For Immediate Release
\nAugust 9, 2018<\/b><\/p>\n
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Acclaimed singer-songwriter Vanessa Peters set to release\u00a0Foxhole Prayers<\/em>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n via Idol Records on October 5th<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201ca true poet and a brilliant songwriter\u201d \u2013\u00a0Rootsville<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n Dallas, TX-based indie-folk singer-songwriter Vanessa Peters is set to release her new album,\u00a0Foxhole Prayers<\/em>, on October 5, 2018, via Idol Records.\u00a0 In\u00a0Foxhole Prayers<\/em>, Peters\u2019s already-considerable songwriting prowess has risen to its fullest stature, presented as a concise, gut-punching collection of songs composed of piercing observations of both the outside and inside worlds.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a literature geek at heart and for years I\u2019ve wanted to do an album somehow influenced by\u00a0The Great Gatsby<\/em>, but the idea seemed much too nerdy and abstract,\u201d explained Peters. \u201cBut after I re-read it last year, it dawned on me that we were literally reliving the Gatsby years. Suddenly I could see all the corrupt and self-indulgent characters from the book all around me, with Trump as some kind of PT Barnum-meets-Warren G. Harding character.\u00a0 I was on tour in Europe at the time and had some time off between shows, so I holed up in a tiny apartment in Utrecht for four days and began writing the songs that would become the basis for the new album.\u201d<\/p>\n Peters shines a bright light on the modern world, illuminating the perilous rise of populist politics, the seemingly incessant swirl of violence around us, the struggle to remain positive in dark times, and the need to stand strong against hate and desperation.\u00a0 The album is dark at times, but Peters reminds us on upbeat songs like \u201cLucky\u201d and album opener \u201cGet Started\u201d that we forge our own luck from sheer determination and in finding gratitude even in the face of hardship. Never before have we heard Peters speak out as forcefully as she does in \u201cCarnival Barker,\u201d one of the album\u2019s most pointed tracks which takes direct aim at not just populist politics but also the frightening way that history repeats itself.\u00a0 And it is impossible to remain dry-eyed throughout the starkly-honest \u201cFight,\u201d in which Peters movingly bares her deepest fears as a songwriter.<\/p>\n In\u00a0Foxhole Prayers<\/em>, Peters demonstrates that she has not only reached an entirely new level of lyricism, but has vaulted into a new echelon of musicality. The album reflects a pleasingly diverse yet cohesive collection of styles, effortlessly weaving modern electronica elements and drum machines into more familiar acoustic and rock arrangements. The result is a splendid musical tapestry that unfolds from the first insistent notes of \u201cGet Started\u201d and keeps the listener sonically mesmerized throughout. For the record, Peters turned to producer Rip Rowan (Old 97\u2019s, Rhett Miller), producer John Dufilho (Deathray Davies, Apples in Stereo), and what has now become her established stable of all-star musicians, including longtime sideman and Grammy-winner Joe Reyes (Buttercup) and Dallas guitar hero Chris Holt (Don Henley) on electric guitar.\u00a0 Dufilho and bassist Andy Lester form the rhythm section for most of the album, while Peters\u2019s European bandmates (Federico Ciancabilla, Andrea Colicchia) also make an appearance on a couple of tracks.<\/p>\n On the deeply personal \u201cFight,\u201d the track opens simply and builds to an emotional climax on a swell of interlocking guitar melodies evocative of\u00a0Bends<\/em>-era Radiohead. \u201cBefore it Falls Apart\u201d is an instantly striking, minimalist arrangement of drum machines, acoustic and electric guitars, and a rich vocoder that suggests a more analog version of Imogen Heap. On \u201cThis Riddle,\u201d producer Rowan gives the track a decidedly Neil Finn treatment, with intersecting live and looped drums and swirling mellotrons. The album also showcases the band\u2019s ability to deliver punchy raw rock on tracks like \u201cTrolls\u201d and \u201cCarnival Barker.\u201d Throughout the album, Peters\u2019s voice is lush and blissful as never before, dominating the mix and commanding the listener\u2019s attention to every word. And that\u2019s the point: these are big songs, full of weight and meaning, demanding to be heard – and Peters makes the listener feel every syllable.<\/p>\n Over the years, Peters has gotten comparisons to songwriters like Suzanne Vega, Beth Orton, Aimee Mann, Josh Ritter, and others.\u00a0\u00a0Rootsville\u00a0<\/em>called her \u201ca true poet and a brilliant songwriter,\u201d while\u00a0No Depression<\/em>\u00a0praised her \u201cmetaphor-rich songs\u201d and \u201cthe depth and substance of her skillfully-crafted lyrics.\u201d The\u00a0Dallas Observer\u00a0<\/em>called her \u201cthe best kind of singer-songwriter.\u201d\u00a0 Peters has released 11 albums and has played over 1000 shows in 11 countries as an independent artist.\u00a0 She has been crowdfunding her albums for over a decade, long before Kickstarter ever existed.\u00a0 She was nominated as Best Folk Artist by the\u00a0Dallas Observer<\/em>.\u00a0 The\u00a0Ft. Worth Star-Telegram<\/em>\u00a0praised her most recent release,\u00a0The Burden of Unshakeable Proof<\/em>, for its \u201c10 gorgeously-sculpted tracks, a blissful shuffling of folk, pop, and jazz bound together by Peters\u2019s peerless voice.\u201d\u00a0 Peters spent 2016 and 2017 touring the US and Europe with her band, while\u00a0The Burden of Unshakeable Proof<\/em>\u00a0received airplay on over 100 different AAA, college, and public radio stations across the country. The album was found on a number of “best of” lists at year’s end, including\u00a0No Depression<\/em>\u2019s \u201cAlt-Country and Beyond\u201d list.<\/p>\n In early 2018, Peters performed solo at 30A Songwriters Festival, and she has opened for artists like John Oates, 10,000 Maniacs, Horse Feathers, and Griffin House.\u00a0 Peters plans to tour \u2013 both solo and with her band \u2013 in support of\u00a0Foxhole Prayers<\/em>, both in the United States and abroad.\u00a0 Tour dates will be announced soon.<\/p>\n