Dave's Music #161 Peter Mulvey & SistaStrings - Love Is The Only Thing
I had seen familiar names showing up on a lot of peoples best of 2022; Peter Mulvey & SistaStrings was definitely on many a list. I knew I was going to see Peter at the Trempealeau Hotel with Katie Dahl so I knew I'd come home with the vinyl.
I have seen Peter multiple times, owned a few of his albums, and did see him with the SistaStrings, so this was going to be a no brainer that I was getting good music. He is such a great storyteller in song.
So to put it in perspective, a fan wrote on Bandcamp: I’ve been listening to Peter Mulvey since I was a teenager and seen him more than anyone else, and his wit, heart, and talent shine through in this latest release as he tackles an America with an uncertain future.
American Songwriter said : Peter Mulvey is a forthright singer and songwriter. He’s made a habit of mining emotion by sharing songs that avoid painting pretty pictures simply for the sake of wooing his listeners with an upward gaze. Yet it’s that very honesty that makes his music so compelling, given that it’s flush with realities that are often simply too difficult to avoid.
Mulvey and company’s new album bears a title that would seem to suggest a mostly optimistic attitude. Yet it also shines the light on challenging circumstances, mostly as it involves the frailty of human relationships and the tenuous ties that bind people together, whether through family, friendships, or the need to explore an added embrace due to common concerns.
No Depression wrapped it up with : The characters and narratives displayed across the album present a life and nation that’s messy, full of extreme highs and lows. Through their collaboration, Mulvey and SistaStrings explore the idea that love and compassion are at the root of all these situations, and their solutions. In their expression of that, they’ve created a heartfelt, moving listening experience.
Let's get you in the mood for the review with this great video of Peter with the Sisters doing their rendition of Shenandoah which is the first cut on the record. (Love the fact that Peter is wearing a Katie Dahl shirt from the other record I bought that night.)
The bright light of family illuminates this record and all that went into making it. Its existence hinges on the way we take care of each other, from its fan-supported funding to the sanctuary of Café Carpe to the blood sisterhood of the Rosses to Mulvey’s newfound fatherhood. “This album is basically a happy family song, then a song about how fucked up things are, then a family song, then a song about how fucked up things are,” Mulvey laughs.
Fellow Milwaukeeans SistaStrings bring all the beautiful versatility of their cello and violin music, along with vocal harmonies, to the project. Classically trained string players who grew up singing in church, Monique and Chauntee were destined to defy conventions of genre and race alike, blending R&B, gospel, and classical sounds. In 2022, they performed at the Grammy Awards with Allison Russell and Brandi Carlile, two artists SistaStrings will tour with in summer 2022. The Rosses will also be performing with Carlile at a Madison Square Garden concert in October.
Mulvey met the Rosses in 2016, and all three felt an instant kinship. “Peter has been the complete definition of an ally. We found a home in the folk/americana realm when we began working with Peter and that gave our career the direction it was lacking,” says Monique. Making this album at such a tumultuous time in history reinforced their role as activists just as much as musicians. “Finding refuge and rejuvenation in these songs with this group of musicians was healing and personally some sort of mission statement for why we even make music in the first place,” Chauntee remembers.
The album explores loss, tension, and the love that sees us through it. Folk classic “Shenandoah” longs for a kinder America, while “Old Men Drinking Seagram’s” is a snapshot of a small town full of hate. “Soft Animal” offers tender sensuality, while “On the Eve of the Inaugural” finds the narrator turning his care to a baby in a stranger’s car. “Song for Michael Brown” is a humble plea for compassion for Brown and for all of us living with the threat of violence and hate.
Some songs are more focused on the loneliness of the pandemic and its flipside of love and togetherness. “You and (Everyone Else)” addresses the pandemic loneliness and fear for other’s safety, while “Five Hundred Days” promises a happy reunion. That promise is fulfilled on “First Day of Summer,” a catchy song about a day when it’s safe to hug everybody, wait in line for tacos, and feel free again.
The record finishes with the title track, a Chuck Prophet cover. With jangly acoustic guitar, rousing drumming, bold strings, and an anthemic chorus, this is the sound of musicians having fun together. It’s also a reminder that it’s not easy to make a better world, but ultimately that work reveals our humanity. “Love is a hurting thing/ Oh, but love is the only thing anymore," Mulvey and SistaStrings belt out in the refrain. It’s then abundantly clear that the love songs and the protest songs have been about the same thing all along.
