[.ca] Torn Again

From Amazon.com:
Peter Case emerged from the punk-pop band The Plimsouls with a startlingly different focus. His songs kept their rock edge, but became fuller, almost cinematic in scope, and the country blues he'd mastered at the start of his career found fullest expression in his gruff, nasal voice and powerhouse acoustic guitar. On this '95 release, he uses a cracking acoustic outfit featuring multi-instrumental whiz Greg Leisz. At the center is sharply detailed, personal singer-songwriter material: "Little Wind (Could Blow Me Away)" (cowritten with Tom Russell), "Turnin' Blue," and the suggestive, poppy "Baltimore." --Roy Francis Kasten

Dynamic effort is a must for Case fans:
"Torn Again" showcases Peter Case's incredible talent of blending his poignant metaphoric satire of life with his excellent folk-rock blended guitar work. These melodies are so toe-tappingly sweet that you will soon be humming them when you least expect it. Peter's work is always first rate, but some of his efforts right after "....Blue Guitar" tended to obscure his real talents at offering up a tasty slice of the full American pie. "Baltimore", "Breaking the Chain", and "Wilderness" are incredibly powerful songs of our innocence lost. In "Baltimore", Peter overlays some bright, upbeat, yet sardonic counterpoint to the melody with a soulful lap steel electric guitar. This adds a colorful contrast with the song's intense images of cold hate uncovered in our sinful condemning of our fellow man. Powerful stuff. "Working for The Enemy" has some great folksy guitar picking overlaying a message that is all too familiar... especially today. Peter's writing is strong on this album. He has an incredible knack of showing how the human condition remains immortally bound to our greatest enemy, ourselves. I played his late '80s Blue Guitar album so many times driving in my car, that the tape wore out. Some of the songs on this album are very similar to these classics. In addition, if you like his new effort, "Full Service, No Waiting" as much as I do, then you'll thoroughly enjoy this '95 effort. One or two listens to "Blind Luck" and you will be singing this song in your head all day long...

• Turnin' Blue
• Baltimore
• Workin' for the Enemy
• Breaking the Chain
• Anything
• Blind Luck
• Little Wind (Could Blow Me Away)
• Punch & Socko
• Wilderness
• Takin' It
• Airplane
• Moves Me Deeply