In this day and age, it is becoming more and more difficult to find artists and bands that have an inherent sense of honesty in their music.
For a while now, Pete Kilpatrick has been at it solo, and along with a revolving-door team of Portland’s finest, he has been delivering the honesty I speak of.
His fourth release, “Hope in Our Hearts,” was released on September 30, with an added kick from a new, certainly recognized co-writer, Zack Jones (As Fast As) and a more solid lineup than in the past. Kilpatrick has polished his craft of writing 3-minute feel-good pop songs. You can’t deny him this.
With a list of influences stemming from solo artists Jack Johnson and John Mayer, to influential groups like Coldplay and The Dave Matthews Band, Kilpatrick and producer/engineer extraordinaire Jon Wyman find a way to blend the sounds into original compositions.
The album’s opening track, “Coming Home,” seems to be a perfect opener for conveying the hopeful theme of the record. It sets the tone of the album to follow, as well as delivering a flawless fall driving song.
The next batch of songs are the album’s best in my opinion. Tracks 2, 3, 4 are the Coldplay-ish “By My Side,” Beatle-esque “Apartment Hall” and album-maker “Chasing the Sun.” These are a showcase of Kilpatrick’s writing ability. With the driving piano behind “By My Side,” you can’t help but hear Coldplay, especially with Kilpatrick’s vocals evoking a young Chris Martin.
In “Apartment Hall,” Pete hits new and different influences as well as themes. A story of moving and the second-guessing that goes along with it, the song creates quite an image while the Beatle-backups of the pre-chorus, “Ooh, it feels so good to be on your own,” bring it full circle.
Kilpatrick, after experiencing the death of his father along with last winter’s endless season, still remains focused on hope rather than doubt on this 10-song LP.
Instead of focusing on the past, he reiterates the idea that as long as there’s someone there for you, you’ll come out on the other side just fine. He does this not only with lyrics but with music as well. Both sucessfully.
I’m not usually a fan of a slow moving record, the band seemed to keep my attention longer than usual. Perhaps as a Portlander I could connect more easily with Kilpatrick’s Maine references.
The only noticeable throw-away song is, “Until I Find Love.” But, that’s only at the end, when the chorus seems to be repeated an endlessly.
One of the most original tracks is “Stars.” An up-tempo song about camping, this is a tune that blends his influences with perfection. The surfy guitar, along with the wooing back-ups, bring it to life. Finally, the last and title track of the album, “Hope in Our Hearts,” brings the record to a close with a sing-along chorus that defines the album’s ideas.
In Pete’s liner notes, he mentions that when the spring came, the ideas flowed. This could also be said with the lyrics of the title track.
If there’s something that makes the ideas on the record stand out, is that at the core, they’re an honest interpretation of the writer.
He is saying stop worrying about the little nuances of life, and live like there won’t be a tomorrow. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who disagrees with him.