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Peter Mulvey
TEN THOUSAND MORNINGS
(SIGNATURE SOUNDS/BLACK WALNUT RECORDS)

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Local singer-songwriter Peter Mulvey had the means to record his seventh album in a studio, but he opted instead for the unlikely Davis Square subway platform in Somerville. Ten Thousand Mornings consists entirely of covers, and unusual ones at that. He brings new life to Paul Simon’s "Stranded in a Limousine" and Marvin Gaye’s "Inner City Blues" as he pounds out acoustically driven rhythms on his guitar and accompanies them with gritty bass vocals; he transforms Bob Dylan’s "Mama, You Been on My Mind" into a bluegrass number.

There are some lovely duets, too: Erin McKeown appears on "Comes Love," and Jennifer Kimball sings on Leo Kottke’s "Running Up the Stairs." Mulvey loses some steam, however, on a restrained version of Gillian Welch’s "Caleb Meyer." Also, many of these songs would benefit from a rhythm section, and though the rumble and screech of the background trains does add a unique ambiance to the project, it can’t replace the serenity of a small studio.

BY CHRISTOPHER CAMERON

Issue Date: November 7 - 14, 2002
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