March
22 ,
2004
by Rob O'Connor
Peter Salett, After A While
Simple
but not simplistic, Peter Salett writes pop songs that wrap
their longings in the leanest of arrangements. Salett orchestrates
with a Zen-like economy on his second album, placing a pedal
steel in one corner, a piano in another, offering nothing overpowering,
just solid musicianship from a small, supporting cast of local
New York City notables. The songs simmer with a reflective early
1970s glaze, not unlike what a modern day East Coast Jackson
Browne or Bread might surmise. "I Fly So High" sports
a deep winter vibe with its muffled vocal, metaphysical quest
and emphatic finger-picking that recalls early Bruce Cockburn. "Colorful
Dream" and the title track suggest Ben Folds Five without
the smart-assed streak. Salett's low-key demeanor hasn't prevented
his music from gathering notice from actors turned film directors
-- Edward Norton, Salma Hayek -- who've appropriately noted how
well Salett's imagistic tone poems can support their cinematic
contemplation.

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