Vicki Peterson And John Cowsill: "Long After The Fire" (2025) CD Review

The Record Store Day list of releases was especially good this year. I was able to get most of my top choices, including Long After The Fire, the excellent new album from Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill. It is presented on the most appealing shade of clear green vinyl you can imagine, and the packaging includes a gatefold. I suppose the only two records I really wanted but was unable to get were the Bad Livers' Delusions Of Banjer and the seven-inch from the Ben Vaughn Combo (am still on the lookout for those). Anyway, if you were unable to grab yourself a copy of the Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill record, it is now also available on CD. The songs here were written by John's brothers Bill Cowsill and Barry Cowsill, and the album is dedicated to them, to their memory. It is, as they say in the liner notes, "our love letter to them." I was fortunate to get to hear some of these songs when Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill opened for The dB's recently. It was that performance that made their record one of my top Record Store Day choices. Joining Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill on this album, as at the concert, is Paul Allen, who plays electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, baritone guitar, keyboards, drums and percussion, and also provides some backing vocals. Paul Allen also produced and engineered the release. John Cowsill plays drums on most of the tracks, and also keyboards and harmonica; Vicki Peterson plays mandolin, bass and electric guitar on certain tracks. Also joining them are Dave Pearlman on pedal steel, and Jimmy Calire on keyboards. Two tracks feature the backing vocal work of Will Cowsill.

The album opens with "Fool Is The Last One To Know," a song written by William Cowsill and Ralph Boyd Johnson, and originally recorded by The Blue Shadows, who included it on the 1993 album On The Floor Of Heaven. It begins with these lines: "Now I am just a working man/And I've done all that I can/To keep you in your ribbons and your bows." It has a delightful country vibe that makes me happy even as John sings, "Now your touch is growing cold." Has being a fool ever sounded so good? This song describes a small country town where word quickly gets around. I grew up in a small town, and know just what he's talking about. This track also features a strong lead by Paul Allen on electric guitar.  Jimmy Calire is on keyboards on this track. That's followed by "Vagabond," which has a wonderful melancholy to its sound, heard in part in John's wonderful vocal performance, as well as in Dave Pearlman's pedal steel work. "There's a place to sleep every now and then/It's usually in the county jail." It's clear he has compassion for this character, but maybe wishes he could give him a helpful kick in the tush. "You don't have a place that you can call your own." Geez, I feel that way too because I'm renting. "Vagabond" was written by William Cowsill.

"Come To Me" establishes a strong sense of atmosphere at the start, and I dig that percussion. Vicki sings lead on this one, delivering a gorgeous vocal performance, like a hand reaching out to us in the darkness. "If you're feeling that you lost/And your thinking has lost its worth/Well then, come to me/Baby, now you can come to me/Give it another try." I love the warmth and hope in her voice. The song then begins to rock in its other section, before easing back into the main section. "If you're thinking times are bad/And your feelings have all been sad." Well, yeah, I think we can all relate to those lines in these dark days. At one point, the track seems to be ending, but it then picks up again for an instrumental section that rocks. I especially like that guitar work. This song was written by Barry Cowsill, and it is one of my personal favorites. It was released as a single in February. It is followed by "Is Anybody Here," another song from the Blue Shadows album On The Floor Of Heaven. It was written by William Cowsill and Jeffrey Hatcher. There is strength and passion and need in John's voice as he asks, "Is anybody here to hear this song?" His voice reaches out and cuts through to us. Later he sings, "Can anybody see what's going on/'Cause everybody knows the right from wrong." I'm not sure that's true anymore. My views on a lot of things have changed in recent years. I sadly find I am much more cynical and pessimistic, and expect very little from people. The only time my latent optimism is sure to kick in is when I"m listening to music like this. That's when I feel the better parts of humanity on display, and glad that they are still present, still kicking.

"Sound On Sound" is an exciting song, coming at us with a good deal of force, with something of a new wave element to it. I love it. Vicki plays electric guitar on this one, delivering some great stuff. This track has a full, loud sound. They rock on this one, even delivering some well-placed screams. "Sound On Sound" was written by Barry Cowsill, and it is one of the tracks to feature the backing vocal work of Will Cowsill. Then we get "Don't Look Back," also written by Barry Cowsill. This is a song that was included on The Cowsills album II X II. Paul Allen plays drums on this one, and it's the drums that start this version off. Vicki sings lead. There is a kind of sweet aspect to the sound, and this track features some wonderful blending of the two voices. "We will miss you when you go away from here/We know you will miss us too/Don't let all your sadness through/And don't look back." John delivers some moving work on harmonica. I also really like the bass line on this one. That's Vicki Peterson on bass. Vicki also sings lead on "You In My Mind," which is another song originally recorded by The Cowsills (sort of). It was released as a single, then titled "You (In My Mind)." This is a lively rendition, with a great deal of cheer, particularly in the chorus: "I got you you you in my mind/All through through through the changing line/You've been true true true all this time/I've got you you you in my mind." Jimmy Calire plays keyboards on this track, delivering a cool lead. There is also a good lead on electric guitar. This song was written by William Cowsill.

"A Thousand Times" has a delightful country sound. Vicki Peterson plays mandolin on this track. "I told you no a thousand times/Don't try to make me change my mind/You see I'm happy where I am." This one too contains some beautiful harmonies, and Dave Pearlman delivers more great stuff on pedal steel, helping to make this another of the album's highlights. It was written by William Cowsill and Mark Abramson, and was originally included on The Blue Shadows' On The Floor Of Heaven. Dave Pearlman also plays pedal steel on "Embers," his work prominent right at the beginning, helping to set the tone. This song was also recorded for On The Floor Of Heaven, but apparently was written quite a while before that. This song gives the album its title, in the line "The embers keep burning long after the fire." Of course, any mention of fire in Los Angeles these days brings with it some strong emotions. This track features some nice work by John on harmonica in the second half.

"Downtown" has a steady, strong rock rhythm. It's interesting to me how downtown still carries a certain meaning, a certain appeal, even when the downtown section of Los Angeles is not really at all like the downtown areas of other major cities. In this song it holds more appeal than in reality. "Well, the valley's getting to me/I've been working all the time." Those are lines that will be appreciated by my girlfriend, who still wishes we lived downtown rather than in the valley. This one was written by Barry Cowsill. Then "When Hearts Collide" is a softer, slower, more thoughtful number, a love song written by Barry Cowsill, who included it on his As Is album. Barry also sang it at Vicki and John's wedding, so it obviously has special meaning for them. "Two separate worlds in a lonely abyss/And when we hit, how could we miss." I also love these lines: "I'll cover you up like an old oak tree/My branches bend, they surround you." This is the other track to feature the backing vocal work of Will Cowsill. The album concludes with another moving number, "Ol' Timeless," also written by Barry Cowsill and also recorded by him for As Is. Vicki sings lead on this one, giving a particularly passionate performance. "Move me down the road/I don't mind the pain/'Cause the gates I'm passing through have no set boundaries." The song ends with this line: "There's a lot of work ahead for me tomorrow." The line is repeated for emphasis. It is a fitting final line, don't you agree? I suppose there is a lot of work ahead for us all.

CD Track List

1. Fool Is The Last One To Know
2. Vagabond
3. Come To Me
4. Is Anybody Here
5. Sound On Sound
6. Don't Look Back
7. You In My Mind
8. A Thousand Times
9. Embers
10. Downtown
11. When Hearts Collide
12. Ol' Timeless

Long After The Fire was released on CD on April 18, 2025.