Peytan Porter - Grown
by Kevin Wierzbicki
It's only fitting that Porter's new EP is titled
Grown; the singer has been releasing recorded music for a few years now and she has indicated that with the new release she feels unfettered as far as conforming to one style is concerned. In other words, she is growing as an artist. Don't expect the effort's opening cut "Lemonade" to be tangy sweet; the song, rich with slide guitar riding an ominous alt country groove, might as well be called "Tea" as it is about a neighborhood's juicy gossip, collected and distributed by a woman sitting on her front porch, drinking lemonade. Porter's voice drips with disdain on the cut and her delivery hints at the fact that maybe she's portraying someone who has been the subject of judgment or rumor. The steel guitar-enhanced "God's Hotel" moves to an easy loping beat with lyrics about wondering if faith that sometimes gets off track is enough to stay on the good side of the man above. "High Road" also deals with the rumor mill but from the viewpoint of those who avoid gossiping; the song begins with the clever line "There's always pots and black kettles" (Porter co-wrote every song on
Grown.) "Speaking of Georgia" talks about missing home and a love interest; the melancholy cut has the qualities that radio listeners love. On the other side of that same coin is title cut "Grown" where Porter portrays a woman of 25 who is realizing that a lot of scary things come along with adulthood and who seeks to get away from them even if it means moving on from home. The EP ends with "Run the Radio," another song that keeps the effort's theme of changes in tact. Porter demonstrates an enormous talent throughout
Grown and it will be a fan's great pleasure to hear her grow as time goes on.
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