★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 out of 5
Just last year, fringe-masked cowboy Orville Peck turned the traditional country genre on its head with his artistic mystique and by injecting queer stories into the grandiose aura of his debut album Pony. Tracks such as "Dead of Night" and "Roses Are Falling" were stellar cuts of love found and lost, from the perspective of the usual outsider.
While some critics simply couldn't get past a supposed "gimmick", Peck's striking baritone and narrative songwriting skills warranted the attention and his deserved rise. Eighteen months later, following a respectable Black Lives Matter-associated delay, the artist continues his trajectory upward with the release of his first extended play.
Show Pony, a six-track extension of the alternative pop and rock inspiration found on his debut, finds Peck aggressively working to navigate the country genre as an unsuspecting pioneer himself. There's his need to stay hopeful and optimistic, to be unafraid to carve out his own unique path, and to confidently reap the rewards of the hard work.
Preceded by singles "Summertime" and "No Glory in the West", most of the debut album formula remains intact. However, a collaboration with country legend Shania Twain and a cover of a Bobbie Gentry classic, made more famous by Reba McEntire, shows promising signs of the numerous directions Peck can continue taking the unique approach to his music career. We may not know the man behind the mask, but we are learning so much about the confident man behind the music.
Tranquil guitar strings allow the hopeful message of "Summertime" to thrive. In the midst of COVID, we all miss something. Summertime can symbolize our lost season, though for the artist, it could also represent a person, or a happy memory now difficult to revisit. The song maintains a similar chord structure and overall feeling of sorrow as its predecessors, though its focus on optimism sets it apart. Things might be bleak, just be sure to keep one foot on the side where the grass is greener.
"No Glory in the West" touches on the meaning and importance of one's journey, emphasizing both the physical and emotional ramifications. Littered with metaphors often associated with achieving the "American dream", Peck is on the brink of exhaustion. And unfortunately, the fight doesn't end after reaching his destination. "Count your blessings," they'll say, and after each midnight begins a new day, but don't place your bets on a word that they say, they'll put your life to rest," he sings.
Peck portrays a lonely truck driver, navigating endless dark highways, as he comes across a temporary lover on "Drive Me, Crazy". Masculine symbols like big rigs and burning rubber juxtaposed with cruising, cries for affection, and flirting over the radio allows the piano-driven ballad to carry real weight. These are the love stories that are often left untold. It's a story of two people who shouldn't be together. Here, bad timing and society expectations do keep them apart.
On the simplistic yet heart-tugging "Kids", Peck utilizes his storytelling talents to shine light on the often invisible. Small town friends navigate an uncertain world and future, leaning on each other for comfort and connection throughout the years, even when most shun a relationship of its very kind. "Hate to say I told you so, but I'm, I'm just a nervous guy, target on our backs each day, tails turn, or so they say," he sings.
Peck called his country-pop collaboration with Shania Twain a "bop". He wasn't wrong. "Legends Never Die" is the most radio-friendly effort we've heard from the masked cowboy. While Twain obviously adds star power, the chemistry between the two elevates the release. In fact, it is Peck teaching Twain new tricks. The road to success, especially as a woman or gay man in country music, is long and difficult. After the tiresome years, it's perfectly fine to confidently acknowledge the glass ceilings one has broken.
Performed live on a few of his tour stops last year, Peck once again injects life into Bobbie Gentry's ode to prostitution "Fancy", even after Reba McEntire transformed it back in the 90s. For 2020, the feminist statement is much darker and brooding, with Peck utilizing his vocal acrobatics and some rock-tinged guitars to emphasize the edge, grit, and determination of a soul needing to sell their body to escape the shackles of poverty. It's a powerful closing statement.
Show Pony accomplishes so much in such a small amount of time. The six tracks featured on the extended play capitalize on Orville Peck's fearless venture into country music territory. However, instead of doing more of the same, the collection of stories are a showcase of the artist's strongest talents and boldest ambitions. There's the emphasis on sorrow for opener "Summertime" (an effective bridge between his two projects) and Peck's ability to narrate the highs and lows of love. But, there's also the willingness to try something a bit more mainstream and the risk of putting his own spin on a tried-and-true classic. With heart, soul, and impeccable vocal performances, Peck succeeds at it all, while carving out his own place in an often-exclusive and picky musical genre.
Tracks to Hear: "Summertime", "No Glory in the West", "Drive Me, Crazy" and "Fancy"
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