MusicCityNashville.net: The Likeable Peter One Makes An Unlikely Comeback with Come Back To Me Release Show at the Blue Room in Nashville

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The Likeable Peter One Makes An Unlikely Comeback with Come Back To Me Release Show at the Blue Room in Nashville

by Rich and Laura Lynch

Peter One performed at the Blue Room in Nashville, Tennessee on May 06, 2023. The concert also served as a record release event for his major label debut of Come Back To Me. Many of the songs that One and his talented team presented were from the new record. A number of the players were multi-instrumentalists adding banjo, harmonica, keys, more guitars and pedal steel to the mix. Two female vocalists punched up the power of Peter's presentation. We came away with the impression that One could have held his own with just a guitar and his voice but a full band augmented more textures to his tunes.

The Likeable Peter One Makes An Unlikely Comeback with Come Back To Me Release Show at the Blue Room in Nashville

Peter One begins again in Nashville.

One once was a star in his country of origin but due to political unrest in West Africa he moved to the United States in 1995. Peter landed in New York where he had no industry contacts so he ended up migrating into the steady profession of nursing. Funny enough, it was that vocation that guided him to Nashville. In Mid-Tenn, One got more involved in music, which led to a recent appearance at the Grand Ole Opry and the release of Come Back To Me. The album melds country, folk and world tones paired with rich storytelling as told by a man who has an important message to share.

He opened with the serious "Staring into the Blues" and "Apartheid". The second number had been penned about 35 years ago. "Sweet Rainbow" was as sweet and colorful as its title. Peter touched upon the hardships of his homeland and a need for unity so "Kavudu" was his call to more positive action, followed by a piece dedicated to a friend who tried to immigrate and did not make it - "Birds Go Die Out of Sight (Don't Go Home)" was moving. It was countered by the upbeat "Cherie Vico". The next few songs were not from the recent record but perhaps will be on a future project. These tracks were potent featuring fluid instrumentation from Peter's band.

The Medium were living large at The Blue Room.

"Everything Will Be Alright" brilliantly blended country and world tones. Peter concluded with a French song of hope. His set demonstrated a wide range of influences paired with a voice that subtely draws you in. This show at the Blue Room was an eclectic mix with Peter headlining. The first opening act - J. Childers played an all-instrumental set on keys paired with sound effects that took us to a rain forest, space and more. Next, The Medium was a four-piece that reminded us a bit of the Beatles although their style was still very different. Some of their songs were quirky including a ballad about a haunted flower bed, a tribute to a racing legend ("The Day Dale Died") and "Space Horse".

The Blue Room at Third Man is another cool room in Nashville that hosts an assorted range of artists such as Peter One. Third Man Records was founded by musician Jack White in Detroit, Michigan in 2001 and in 2009 he opened another in Nashville. The Mid-Tenn location has a record store, a lounge (featuring the Third Man Record Booth), label offices, a distribution center, photo studio, and the world's only live venue with direct-to-acetate recording capabilities aka the Blue Room which can be rented for private events and performances.