MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: PETER KATZ - CITY OF OUR LIVES

 

Peter Katz's music has expanded greatly since his acoustic guitar, singer-songwriter debut back in 2007. Now bathed in the best new rhythms and rich pop production courtesy of Derek Hoffman (The Trews, Caveboy), the big sound matches his mood. It's an album about embracing change, and life, no matter what gets thrown at you.

The back story is a big one, involving Katz falling off a cliff, breaking bones and being warned he might never walk again. There's also a break-up and a house gone. But rather than a pity party, the songs are about what can come next. The ones that address that topic include bits of his story, such as "Everything Is Different," where "I loved that house, every corner of it." But it's about what comes next, and how to look forward to it: "Everything is different than it was/There's no way to recover what was lost/Everything is changing cause it does/Let the colours bleed out in the wash."

With plenty of glittery synth sounds and charming melodies, Katz is certainly offering up the best of current pop sounds. What sets him further apart is his always-wonderful, emotive voice and his excellent, clear way with lyrics. He knows what he wants to get across, he says it concisely, it all makes sense and it all hits home. That's a grand skill in any kind of writing.