‘Peter Case At McCabes – My Life To Live’ Reclaims Artists’ Often Overlooked Songbook (ALBUM REVIEW)

Peter Case At McCabes – My Life To Live is not the usual career retrospective of a veteran artist. Granted, the former leader of the Plimsouls spans his canon here, but in doing so over the course of the seventy-one-plus duration of this twenty-two cut sequence, he plays, sings, and speaks with a tangible sense of rediscovery. 

 Not coincidentally, there’s also a palpable sense of pride arising from the reimaginings of songs like “I Shook His Hand” off Case’s eponymous solo debut. Recorded over two nights at his home-away-from-home venue in Santa Monica, CA, the performance bristles with energy because Peter’s self-penned songs, much like the traditional “Flying Crow Blues,” have aged so well over time.

And not only does the artist seem to know what’s happening, but he’s also relishing the sensation. Adding to the nurturing atmosphere, the feeling is altogether mutual between Peter and the lively audience: the attendees inspire Case as he reaches even further back for the best-known ‘Souls’ number, “A Million Miles Away” (made famous for its inclusion in the 1983 film ‘Valley Girl’). 

Playing acoustic guitar, piano, and harmonica by himself most of the time, Peter Case nonetheless enlists additional accompaniment just often enough to avoid any sameness of presentation. For instance, the compact ensemble Cash and Skye adds harmony vocals, bass, and pedal steel on “Oldest Story in the World.” There too, Buddy Zapata’s electric guitar punctuates yet another number by Peter’s former group. 

Meanwhile, the latter’s short take on the ivories for John Coltrane’s “Naima” adds to the unpredictable progression of songs as much as the lusty audience singalong on “Somebody Told The Truth.” Peter Case hardly sounds like he’s just going through the motions in rendering his repertoire with such gusto, and those present respond in kind.

At McCabe’s certainly doesn’t supplant Peter Case’s body of work–the quintessential folk of “Ain’t Gonna Worry No More,” from 2007’s Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John, resonates with contemporary relevance–but it should pique the curiosity of both fans and novice listeners about all the other entries in his lengthy discography. 

By the same token, becoming familiar (again) with efforts such as the now twenty-five-year-plus Flying Saucer Blues will not render My Life To Live redundant. On the contrary, this selection of material, as well as six spoken word interludes generally more focused than his stream-of-consciousness liner notes (and the final story here called “One For The Road”), will solidify At McCabes as a statement of purpose. 

In that sense, this collection is comparable to all the best entries in Peter Case’s lengthy body of work.