I always smile when I see the “It’s Complicated” descriptor as an explanation of relationship status on Facebook. I don’t know one relationship that ISN’T complex! As I sift through the contents of my POD all of which are now in my possession after almost 3 years, and some of the items bring a flood of memories. I think when there is a loss in your life you have to give it time to heal. It will be almost 5 years for me, and I am now in a better place to revisit the feelings. Oh, don’t get me wrong, it still hurts, but it isn’t as mournful as it was at the beginning. So when I pull this item, or that one, out of a box, there is a tangle of emotions; smiles, tears, anger, gratitude. It IS complicated.
Photo: Gina BinkleySuch as it is, Gretchen Peters puts all the complexity beautifully in the song “The Matador.” Men are such enigmas. I know they say the same about us women. Through all the facets of personalities, the moods, the storms and the quiet times, the spectrum of a person is rich and idiosyncratic. The song can be found on Gretchen’s new album, Hello Cruel World, which came out at the end of January. It was born of a heavy year in 2010, which included her hometown of Nashville sustaining catastrophic flooding, a second home in Florida being threatened by the BP oil spill, and the suicide of a friend. All the angst and questioning got channeled into the making of this album. Gretchen and Barry Walsh, her husband since 2010 and longtime accompanist, are gigging in the UK for three more night, then they are off to Ireland. They make beautiful music together. To wit, here is the Music Fog recording of “The Matador,” from our Fall Marathon at Marathon Recorders in Nashville in October.
- Jessie Scott
