Being a musician is full of ups and downs. It seems the more successful you become the more intense it all gets. In the words of The Notorious B.I.G "Mo Money Mo Problems," right?
Mule marks Orville Peck's fourth studio album and possibly his most revealing. This record is full of sadness hidden behind some upbeat country tunes. Subjects like drug abuse, making out with a guy who plays for the Raiders, the state of the world, killing yourself and being burned out are all tackled here.
Speaking of drug abuse, take track four, "Rehab Blues." It's not a happy tune. Peck sings about his struggles with cocaine, pills, alcohol and ending up in rehab:
"I hate it here, I don't care, and I wanna die / You tell the man what's in your head / He writes it down and he nods his head / Then the other heads nod their heads / Then everybody cries."
It's clear to see Peck has been through some turmoil. Even on the upbeat singles "Too Little, Too Late" and "Already Gone" we get more nods to drug use:
"He's got a house in the hills / He's paying everybody's bills / But nothing pays better than a dusty white kill / Fill me up and lemme take a spill."
Is Peck talking about himself? Is he helping everyone out monetarily and living in the Hollywood hills but really just wants a bump of cocaine?
On "Blue Skies," which is exquisitely written, it sounds like Peck is contemplating suicide.
"So let it be known, I'm not coming home / Got some memories I gotta drown / Forget all my lovers, guess red is my colour / No more blue skies to be found."
My hopes are that Peck has conquered some of these demons and that Mule was a therapeutic record for him to make. I saw him perform live just a couple weeks ago, and I never would have thought that the guy up there on the stage was about to release such a heavy album full of such revealing subject matter.
Sadness aside, Mule is a very strong album from Peck. The pop leanings of Stampede are gone, along with all the duets. Mule has more in common with Bronco (Peck's sophomore record), and shows that Peck's lyric writing has gotten even better.
Given his stronger lyric work, Mule is probably Peck's strongest since his debut, Pony. Tracks like "Mule," "Blue Skies," "War Of The Worlds" and "Already Gone" have a lot going for them, and show that Peck is truly a talented lyricist. The last track, "Mule," could make a grown man cry out on the wild frontier of West Hollywood.
If you're not wanting to feel sad, then put on "Already Gone," tune the lyrics out and enjoy the giddy up of the music, along with Peck's epic falsetto at the start of each chorus. This song's a highlight of Mule and probably a good country song to introduce to your less country aligned friends — it's got a universal appeal about it.
After a couple listens, the initial sadness of Mule wears off and you're left with a well constructed record from one of the more unique voices in country music today. We all know music has the power to heal, so here's hoping that Peck is doing ok and moving on to greener pastures.
