It’s always fraught to describe a record as ‘mature.’ Even with the best of intentions, the word conveys a certain listlessness. Artists make ‘mature’ records when the vibrant, provocative energy that used to drive them has faded away, we tend to think.
But in spite of the danger, I want to take the risk and say that Foxhole Prayers, the latest from (longtime favorite of the blog) Vanessa Peters, is a mature record. That doesn’t mean there’s no fun here, and it certainly doesn’t mean that there’s no energy. But it would be impossible to think seriously about these songs without drifting into a contemplation of mortality, morality, and all things in between. And it’s a record that demands some serious thinking.
Peters has always had a wonderful capacity to communicate oceans of meaning with a single deft phrase. Her songs are filled with people who lead rich lives who are merely drifting past for the moment, like rafters on the old Mississippi who wave from a distance as the river carries them slowly over the horizon.
All that ability is still in evidence here. And yet, this record feels different. These songs do not glide by; they pull up to the shore, set up shop, and urge you to come forward. Hear the news. Because these are songs with purpose, which seek to illuminate, perhaps even persuade. They are deft, able to argue without ever coming across as didactic, and introspective. They are also urgent, defined by a sense of dread at the conditions of our world, but also infused with a deep and generous hope. More than anything, it’s a record that challenges us to stop being careless: to take ourselves and our country seriously. To feel compassion, even when the pain threatens to drive us mad. To do something, no matter how small, to make the world a kinder place.
All of which is to say: this is a powerfully topical record, one very much centered in 2018. But it’s also a timeless record. Because time is a great wheel and there’s nothing truly new under the sun. So if we want to understand why there is so much pain, we have to look inside, to seek out those parts of ourselves that we keep hidden for fear of what they might reveal. The dark parts, where fear dominates and suspicion reigns. But also the parts that remain hidden because we’ve never truly needed. Reservoirs of hope, compassion, faith, and resolve. We run from all of these pieces, both the dark and the light, because life is so much simpler without them. But in the end, she says in the final track, we are all “what we can’t outrun.” For good and for bad.
The theme is touched on in many of the songs. “Foxhole Prayers” describes the universality of loss, the way that pain drives us to a sense of self understanding. And the terrible combination of hope and despair that fuses together in these moments. Meanwhile, “Fight” describes the aftermath, when you gather together your resolve, get up off the floor, and take that next determined step. “Just One of Them” describes the feeling of discovering yourself to be a fraud—a false prophet to values that you aren’t truly willing to defend. It asks us to consider: what would you fight for, against all odds? What would you sacrifice? It’s a terrible question, and an important one.
This is a dark record, but it’s not a cynical one. Nor is it joyless. It asks big, important questions, but does so with an incredible generosity, and playfulness. It’s a room with a fire and a warm meal for a weary traveler on the road. An offer to listen, in a world full of people all too ready to talk. A restless spirit pacing long into the night. And a challenge to all of us to remember: those who are careless with the hearts of others will often find great success, but they will rarely find satisfaction.