It is always startling to experience the passage of time. What seemed like yesterday was in fact 20 years ago, and if challenged, the slender one would venture that it was two decades ago that he first heard Peter Loite pick up a guitar and sing. All the more pleasurable then to comment that Loite is like fine wine - his music improves with age.

His - to my knowledge - debut CD Ancient Road is proof positive, and ranks, to these ears, as one of the musical gems of 2001. The material was recorded in early 1999 and early 2000 in Tallinn with a top-notch crew of local Estonian musicians. It arrived in my player just before Christmas, and has received a lot of play, most justifiably.

It is a tried and true, if not always fair reviewing technique to use comparisons when listening to original music. Suffice it to say, that categories help at the outset. Loite's CD consists of a blend of folk tinged ballads and country rockers of emotion and passion.

Musical influences abound. Strongly reminiscent of the early work of John Hiatt, Murray Head and Ian Andersen, the voice remains original.

Loite's vocal work in fact evokes John Prine - the gravelly baritone suggestive of a few cigarettes too many, but not so many, to hinder reflective delivery.

The title cut brings to mind Prine of the mid-701s, when the troubadour left pure folk for excursions into rock. "Take me down" is a veritable pearl, a number that wears emotion openly, and improves with every listening. "Lost in the world" is an introspective ballad that could and should be listened to in those pre-dawn hours, so suitable for the likes of Tom Waits.

The material is all original, written by Loite and arranged by him and the Tallinn musicians. Production is of high standard, one is hard-pressed to find any technical fault. Creative influences in the arrangements - saxophone on "Autumn bird" or cello and strings on "This is me" show the multi-faceted approach in the studio.

This recording is solid throughout. The best proof can be found in detecting the nuances that emerge with every listen. A lot of work has gone into this disc, and Loite has emerged with a five-star effort. As noted above, while influences abound his CD is a strong, original work that merits much more than cursory play.

As of writing distribution details were not available. It is a given, especially given the advantages offered by today's technology, that recording one''s music is far simpler than finding distribution in a highly competitive market. Here's hoping that Ancient Road finds the wider listenership that it most assuredly deserves.

Fortunately it is possible to utilize the Internet in this case, perhaps a distributing outlet has been found. For further information contact the musician by e-mail:peterloite@sprint.ca, or check out his home page at www.peterloite.ca

OTEPÄÄ SLIM

Kultuur

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