I have always believed that love and the longing for, loss of, and the absence of it and the inevitable feelings, problems, complications, and aftereffects that follow can be used in a myriad of ways to help explain the actions, both good and bad, of every individual ever born.
It is love that is at the heart of Forever Worse Better, the new album from the Nashville based Americana band Great Peacock and through their smooth and adept instrumentation and superb songwriting skills on the album, they treat the subject matter and the aforementioned results and consequences in such a masterful and skillful manner that it results in them creating one of the most passion-driven and intensely resonating records of 2020.
From the wistful and contemplative opening number “All I Ever Do,” to the introspective and meditative titular track, to the inspirational and soaring “High Wind” and to the clear-eyed and determined closing tune “Learning To Say Goodbye” and the other six songs on the record, the band tackles the themes of self-doubt, heartbreak, resilience, perseverance and hope with a clarity and depth of vision that sets them apart from a wide swathe of their musical contemporaries.
With a tough-minded optimism based in faith in themselves, a higher power, and yes, at the and of the day, love, the band, with a sound that combines echoes of Tom Petty, country, gospel, and folk, on Forever Worse Better makes its case why it deserves to be recognized as one of America’s superior bands right now.
In my estimation, Forever Worse Better by Great Peacock stands as an emotionally charged and thoughtful American music masterpiece that merits a wide listening audience not only because of the relatability and timeliness of the ten songs contained therein but also because of the commanding way in which they are delivered. Listen up and behold Americana music fans, because this band is in full bloom and deserves a chunk of your listening time.
Forever Worse Better by Great Peacock is now available on the band’s website .
Credits: Andrew Nelson – Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Hammond Organ, Piano, Keyboards, Blount Floyd – Vocals, Acoustic And Electric Guitars, Mandolin, Keys, Programming, Frank Keith IV – Bass Guitar, Nick Recio – Drums, Adam Kurtz – Pedal Steel Guitar, Adam Stewart – Violins, Lexi Jackson – Saxophone, Steve Daly – Slide Guitar, Pedal Steel Guitar, Baritone Electric Guitar, Sadler Vaden – Slide Guitar, Electric Guitar, Produced by Andrew Nelson and Blount Floyd
This album has been growing on me for the past month or so. There’s some really solid songs here, starting with the title cut and All I Ever Do. The style is somewhere between Americana and Southern rock, with acoustic numbers and even some heavier rock which would have fit right in on 70’s FM radio. Highly recommend.