I love Peter Mayer's music!! World of Dreams is heart-achingly beautiful!! I listen to it over and over.
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A solo acoustic singer-songwriter based in Minnesota, he could be your neighbor next door, or an undeniable folk voice of the times with unpretentious, sensitive, open-hearted and spicy songwriting. This rival of David Wilcox (with pockets full of truths like loose change) fills in the gaps of modern male folk, addressing every day, yet operative issues in our normal or not so normal lives; everything from I/IE personality types to middle-aged fable heroes who have run out of hope. Intimate and engaging with a cafe atmosphere that conjures up smooth lattes and the space to ponder the creamy froth of life's lessons and trivialities, this is a CD that modern folk lovers will keep on 'repeat'.
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Peter Mayer's "Elements" succeeds as an in-concert recording because it reveals what a studio recording cannot. It is an autobiographical Periodic Table charting the primary attributes of great performance, life's spiritual quest, and Peter Mayer himself. "Molly O'Malley," the opener (and one of only two studio cuts) establishes that "everybody's in the band," accompanying Mayer as musicians--whether joining in "with voices.." or simply listening "with attentive eyes and ears"--and as pilgrims together on the journey. Mayer welcomes us into a mystical watering hole where, over the door and above the bar, hang two questions which resonate throughout the CD: Is this a place of many souls or just one very large one? Are there many songs or just one that goes on and on? "Molly O'Malley" also demonstrates the elements of Mayer's appealing guitar style: alternately percussive ("Astronaut Dreams"), rhythmic ("Canoe Song"), melodic ("O Sun") or here, all of the above. In Mayer's capable hands the instrument sounds like a calliope one moment, an orchestra the next and then a cleanly picked guitar á la Dave Van Ronk ("The Dark"). As the concert continues, composed almost exclusively of cuts from venues throughout the U.S, we hear Mayer drawing in audiences with an embracing spirituality leavened with melody, poetry and humor (as in self-deprecating songs like the whimsical "Scatterbrain"). The lyrics discover universal truths in the dilemmas of individuals ("Running with the Buffalo," "Astronaut Dreams") and in the absurd. "The Birthday Party" finds Mohammed and Buddha trading "bits of news and stories from these thousand years" riding the train to Jesus' birthday bash. Jesus' departing message to the avatars and seekers who have joined him, "Hey, let's not be strangers," suits a world in which those of different faiths continue to be strangers and worse, but how sweet indeed to smile as we face such unpleasant truth. Mayer's melodies move unexpectedly enough to keep things interesting but never stray too far from something hum-able. Mayer's on-stage patter, at a minimum here, is a model for singer-songwriters, as is his work with the accompanists showcased in two tunes. Mayer is a performer at the top of his game who knows that the secret to living in a world of perplexing questions is enjoying the search for answers. "Elements" helps.
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