Peter Parcek - News

Review: Blues Matters UK, October 2020

Reviewing Mississippi Suitcase by Peter Parcek was an absolute joy. The World is Upside Down grabs your attention from the off with its slightly distorted guitar. Not only does the powerful heavy sound have a great riff, but the lyrics make a lot of sense in these very strange political times. Peter's vocals have a hint of the chilled sound of Peter Green in the late 70's, which is even more apparent in his very fine version of Sleepy John's Everybody Oughta Make A Change, which also has blues philosophy at its heart. Speaking of philosophy, the ancient Roman poet Ovid's line Beyond Here Lies Nothin, which was used by Bob Dylan for the title of the next track also gets a great rendition with excellent guitarwork. In a brilliant tribute to Peter Green, the next track is The Supernatural, which first appeared in 1966 on The Bluesbreakers' Hard Road album. Mr Parcek's performance has perfectly captured its spirit; his guitar says what words just can't. Life's A One Way Ticket, by Cousin Joe, is another pearl of a blues track with some very sound life hints (i.e. live your life before it's too late) I just love the line “I ain't seen an armoured car at a funeral yet”. Please don't be confused into thinking that the album is all about the words, it really isn't, but it's just fantastic when the quality and wit of the lyrics and their delivery matches the extremely high quality of the instrumental accompaniment. The title track is one of Peter's own and is another gem. Eleanor Rigby is a vehicle for the artist's guitar virtuosity and brings freshness to this Beatles' classic. Sonny Boy Williamson's down 'n dirty Until My Love Come Down is enhanced by the unashamed clarity of the vocals. She Likes to Boogie Real Low, covered so well by Johnny Winter, is another brilliant instrumental track. Lou Reed's Waiting For The Man gets a bluesy workover and the final track A Head Full Of Ghosts could have been composed by Peter Green himself. Very highly recommended.