Reflections

On the Reflections re-issue which is on Peter’s own label, Lobster Music; the talented guitarist reworks a collection of his favorite songs from the seventies. Such memorable tunes as Stevie Wonder’s, “My Cherie Amour”, Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” and “Never Gonna Give You Up” are interpreted with the elegant, melodic styling that has propelled all of White’s solo recordings to the top of the charts. “My intent on this record was to do really unique versions of these songs,” explains Peter. “I tried to make them my own for the 90 s, even though I know that everyone has their own memories attached to them from the 70’s.” White is no exception to that, having grown up on British pop radio in the 60’s and 70’s, and certainly the tunes on Reflections do indeed take him back. One example is “My Cherie Amour.” As he remembers: “I was in love when I used to listen to that song, but it was unrequited love. There’s a line that goes, ‘Maybe someday you’ll see my face among the crowd…’ and I felt like that, like I was out there in the distance, and I’d never get close to that girl.” Peter mentions Barry White as a strong influence on his musical development, and his take on “Never Gonna Give You Up” pays tribute to that influence. “To me, Barry introduced a completely new sound. Up until then, pop songs were very short, and got to the verse very quickly. Barry recorded songs with very long introductions, with all this breathing — he was really the first to set up that groove, and the groove was the most important thing. He set the mood before he even started to sing.” Dionne Warwick’s “Walk On By” is evidence of Peter’s ability to interpret a classic in an entirely new way, and still remain true to its essence. He explains his reasoning as follows. “I’ve always thought this song sounded too happy for what it was about. I played the melody as faithfully as I could, but I’ve changed a lot of chords and took it back down to a minor key, and made it completely melancholy.” Reflections showcases Peter’s ability to adapt his guitar playing to a wide variety of musical styles, effortlessly taking on pop, R&B and reggae, with the help of producer Paul Brown and special guest saxophonists Boney James, Richard Elliot and Sam Riney, and a rhythm section that includes “Ready” Freddie Washington (bass) and Curt Bisquera (drums).