Lucky Peterson | You Can Always Turn Around (Coming Sept. 28th, 2010)

LUCKY PETERSON’S ‘YOU CAN ALWAYS TURN AROUND,’ RECORDED WITH
WOODSTOCK’S “A-LIST” PLAYERS, HERALDS TURNAROUND IN LIFE AS WELL AS
MUSIC

Blues singer/keyboardist/guitarist’s first album in
seven years features Larry Campbell, Scott Petito and Gary Burke, and
songs by Robert Johnson, Blind Willie McTell, Tom Waits, Ray LaMontagne
and Lucinda Williams

WOODSTOCK, N.Y. — Lucky Peterson was
discovered by blues legend Willie Dixon when he was three years old,
released his first record at five and soon after appeared on The Tonight
Show. Trained by keyboardists Bill Doggett and Jimmy Smith, Peterson
went on to play behind Little Milton, Bobby “Blue” Bland and Kenny Neal.
On return from the “Young Blues Giants” tour of Europe, he signed first
with Alligator, then Verve, Blue Thumb and Birdology/Dreyfus, where he
recorded what Amazon.com called “his finest album, ” Black Midnight Sun,
in 2003. The New Yorker called him “a master of the guitar, organ and
microphone.”

But Lucky’s journey was not a smooth one, and
Peterson spent the next few years in transition, working to free himself
of drug troubles that had affected his health, family life and
professional life. He spent time in treatment, making one-off records
for small European labels, but never a proper follow-up to Black
Midnight Sun.

But you can always turn around. These words took on
special meaning for the 45-year-old Peterson, which is why the first
album since his rehabilitation is titled You Can Always Turn Around. It
is an uplifting collection of songs that speak of struggles and
salvation, using the gritty clarity of acoustic roots-blues (with modern
touches) as its main musical vehicle.

The album, scheduled for
September 28, 2010 release on Dreyfus Records, was made in the Catskills
with master Woodstock musicians Larry Campbell, guitar (Bob Dylan,
Levon Helm); Scott Petito, bass (The Fugs, Mercury Rev, Rick Danko
Band); and Gary Burke, drums (Joe Jackson, Shania Twain). Peterson as
usual plays a mix of instruments: duolian resonator, piano and acoustic
and electric guitars. Also prevalent is the acoustic piano on which
Lucky sounds like a bluesy Elton John. “He’s something of a genius — his
piano playing reminds me of Aretha Franklin, ” says drummer Burke, who
has played behind Franklin on the road.

But it’s Peterson’s vocal
instrument that some might find most arresting. Peterson wraps his
voice around an eclectic selection of blues-based materials including
songs by original Delta bluesmen Robert Johnson, Rev. Gary Davis and
Blind Willie McTell up through the music of today’s top songwriters
including Lucinda Williams, Tom Waits and Ray LaMontagne. The album
closes with a version of Curtis Mayfield’s “Think.”

“This album
is very different for me — it’s more from the heart, ” says Peterson.
“The songs were picked by (co-producer) Doug Yoel, and he knew my heart.
I feel like all these songs were for me.” The album would be the last
co-production of Francis Dreyfus, who passed away on June 24, before the
album’s release.

One standout on the album is the civil-rights
era anthem “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free, ” written by
Billy Taylor and popularized by Nina Simone. The new recording
introduces Tamara Peterson, Lucky’s wife, a worthy blues singer in her
own right. The chemistry between Lucky and Tamara on that session was so
exciting that Larry Campbell was prompted to invite the pair to appear
with the Levon Helm Band at the Midnight Ramble concert the following
night.

Peterson creates something brand new on “Trampled Rose, ”
turning a wordless hook into a seductive Arabian-flavored line. The band
responded to and fed the creativity of the newly awakened Lucky
Peterson, and the results are truly special.

Peterson continues
to tour, doing dates big and small. This new album should increase
awareness of and demand for this one-of-a-kind musician.

And when
off the road, he’ll be at his church in Dallas, Texas with his family,
holding on, and playing for one very lucky congregation.

TRACK
LIST:

1. I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom (Robert Johnson)
2. I’m
New Here (Bill Callahan)
3. Statesboro Blues (Blind Willie McTell)
4.
Trouble (Ray LaMontagne)
5. Trampled Rose (Tom Waits / Kathleen
Brennan)
6. Atonement (Lucinda Williams)
7. Why Are People Like
That (Bobby Charles)
8. Four Little Boys (James Peterson / Judge
Peterson)
9. Death Don’t Have No Mercy (Rev. Gary Davis)
10. I
Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free (Billy Taylor and Dick Dallas)
11.
Think (Curtis Mayfield)