With her new album Burn the Witch (Road Dog Enterprises), Sarah Peacock wants you to know that it is OK to be different and that we are all inextricably tied to each other in a myriad of ways that we don’t often see or recognize. From the anthemic title track which was inspired by the Salem witch trials and the constant attempt to suppress the female voice to the moving and poignant “Hold Me In Your Heart,” which closes out the record, the eleven songs contained therein contain stories about our common humanity, our cruelty towards each other, the universal search for love and beauty, our resilience against the negative pressures that society inflicts upon us, and our endless ability to hope and dream for better things in a hurt filled world.
Peacock’s amazing vocal prowess and top-notch storytelling ability shine throughout as the characters in her songs celebrate their individuality while dealing with such weighty things as the fragility of life, our emotional vulnerabilities as human beings, societal and communal hypocrisy, the dynamics behind bullying, self-hatred and doubt, and the pain that comes from the consequences of the decisions that we have made in our lives.
While it is true that one of the overriding themes of the album is that we are all prisoners to the human condition, Burn The Witch ultimately is a hopeful record with lyrics like “You can let the world take you low or you can let it take you high” from the song “Take You High,” words which highlight the fact that we ultimately have the power to choose to rise above the limitations that are placed upon us by society and life.
All told, this record is a bold statement from one of Americana music’s great talents which delivers to its listeners the timely and much-needed message that we are all more alike than we ever want to realize or admit and that in this fact lies the powerful possibility of us being able to change and to make a better world. Burn The Witch, on the Road Dog record label, is now available at www.sarahpeacockmusic.com
Credits:
Sarah Peacock: Composer, Guitar (Acoustic), Percussion, Primary Artist, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Shawn Byrne: Bass, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Mixing, Percussion, Producer, Vocals (Background)
Michael Lucarelli: Fiddle, Viola, Violin
Adam Ollendorff: Pedal Steel
Brian Sutherland: Cello
John Henry Trinko: Hammond B3, Keyboards
Eric Conn: Mastering
Anna Haas: Artwork, Photography
Composers: Sheena Brook, Jason Herndon, Lockwood Barr, Tim Montana, Danny Myrick, Meg Myrick, Ryan Sorestad, Seth Walker