Gretchen Peters

Gretchen Peters

Whelan’s, Dublin

To say that much great music goes unnoticed would be stating the obvious, but in the case of Gretchen Peters her creative muse is normally channelled through others.

A prolific songwriter that has written for many country stars, including Patty Loveless, Trisha Yearwood, Pam Tillis, Martina McBride and George Strait, many of her songs consider the female fighting back against the odds. Whether it be an abusive relationship, a dead end life or a broken heart, the words that leave her pen come out fighting and give a message of hope and optimism.

However, there is more to Gretchen Peters than a basket of country songs on a male/female theme. Her ability to write a killer hook is complimented perfectly by her talented guitar playing and passionate vocal delivery. She has lived in these songs and the emotion comes through in standards like ‘On a Bus to St. Cloud’ and ‘The Secret of Life’. The assured and subtle playing of Barry Walsh on keyboards enhance her performance and his melody builds the sound to a fuller and more satisfying level.

The venue is nicely full with a listening audience that creates a very special atmosphere. Gretchen Peters reflected this in her performance and played for close on two hours, including a well deserved three-encore finale. Singing almost every song from her two released CDs, together with some old favourites – ‘Let That Pony Run’, was a real standout – Peters spoke of her recent collaborations with Bryan Adams. It is good to know that her talent is breaking free from the sometimes-confining label of country artist, as her music deserves a wider audience. This lady is terrific talent with songs of real substance that stay in the memory. Long may she run…