Peter Himmelman – The Boat That Carries Us
Hyperbolium
Posted On November 15, 2014
Soulful singer-songwriter sees light ahead
Singer-songwriter Peter Himmelman’s been banging away for nearly forty years now, creating an impressive catalog of personal and observational songs touched by rock, blues and soul. He’s recorded for a major label, achieved success on college and alternative rock radio, toured, podcasted, entertained children, gained placements in (and composed soundtracks for) television programs, and has been nominated for both an Emmy and a Grammy. He’s also developed an innovation and leadership consultancy. But as documented on the 2007 DVD Rock God, even with regular doses of critical recognition, Himmelman grew disillusioned with the gap between his artistic accomplishments and his commercial rewards.
Luckily for his fans, soul searching is rich grist for the artistic mill, and self-reflection has led Himmelman past the darkness explored on his last few releases. The album’s opening track poses hope against struggle as a boat willfully charts its own path against strong currents, and Himmelman’s protagonists do similarly as they navigate rocky roads and recalibrate their courses to circumvent troubles ahead. Himmelman’s realized that fearing to lose is its own loss and that successfully confronting life’s tribulations often results in a happier standing; he even circles back on his own pessimism on “For Wednesday at 7pm (I Apologize).”
Written mostly in transit, the songs often build travel into metaphors of personal transformation. The inventory of “33K Feet” is nominally that of a plane’s cabin, but its enumeration inspires introspection, and on the ground, the lines drawn between physical and metaphysical roads are often found to be narrow. Himmelman’s pick-up band features an all-star rhythm section of Lee Sklar (bass) and Jim Keltner (drums), and together with guitarist David Steele, the quartet tracked a dozen songs in just a few days of on-the-spot arranging and live recording. Keyboardist Will Gramling dubbed touches of organ afterwards, but they mesh so well with the core productions that you’d never know they weren’t added live.
Himmelman’s singing favors the rye tone of Randy Newman, the soulfulness of Willy DeVille, and, particularly on “Afraid to Lose,” the hope and ambition of Neil Diamond. Still, his lyrical voice remains singular, particularly as he emerges from years of critical analysis into a world where adversity is an invitation rather than an insurmountable challenge. His band adds to the warmth with Southern-tinged rock and soul whose conversational tone belies the group’s quick introduction and short schedule. Those who helped fund this project through Kickstarter have certainly gotten their money’s worth, and those who are just finding out now are in for a treat. [©2014 Hyperbolium]
