The album opens with one of the new songs, “I Go With Me,” which begins with lines that many folks can relate to: “I’m getting the itch again to move away/To a place where nobody knows my name.” She then sings that her troubles will follow her, no matter where she goes. “And running away doesn’t do me any good/Because wherever I go, I go too.” The desire to leave one’s self behind can be strong. But how is one to accomplish this feat? Not by changing locations, as she tells us here. Ana Vafai adds some beautiful work on violin to this track. That’s followed by “Willow,” a sweet-sounding country song that touches upon a similar theme, troubles within and looking for a way to move past them somehow, with Peggy James singing “But I just can’t find no peace of mind/There’s a hole inside of me too deep to fill.” She delivers a pretty, heartfelt vocal performance, part of what makes this one of my favorite tracks. “And I’m here among the living/But I don’t feel alive.” John Calarco joins Peggy James on drums for this one.
“Thousand Reasons” is one that she is revisiting. It previously appeared on Crossroad Moment, where it is listed as “1,000 Reasons.” This one also features some seriously pretty vocal work, as on the lines “Breaking all the rules I’ve been making/Everything that can be shook is shaking,” lines that I love. On Crossroad Moment, “1,000 Reasons” is followed by “Guardian Angel,” and so it is here. This new version has a different sound at the beginning, with the guitar being part of the focus as it supports her vocals. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “The hour is lonely/The hour is late/And all I’ve got left is my soul/Fragile as glass, so easy to break/You must be so tired/If angels can be/I know that I’m tough/But please don’t give up on me.” Sometimes the idea of a guardian angel helping us, or even just lovingly watching and listening, is comforting and soothing, particularly in these days when much of the population seems to have become unhinged. And speaking of that, Peggy James gives us an excellent new song titled “Hard Times” about the state of things. Check out these lines, which begin the song: “People today are taking sides/Holed up in their trenches/Waiting for a fight/When you’re filled with anger/Reason’s out the door/Everybody’s talking/Nobody’s listening anymore.” Yup, that’s just about the size of it. And it’s difficult to keep from turning to anger when you feel a significant portion of the country is basically awful and unreachable. I mean, how do you even begin to talk to people who support Trump, particularly when they refuse to believe that truth is truth? So I am just as guilty of succumbing to anger as others. These lines are especially striking, particularly in light of the pandemic, which should have brought the nation together: “What will it take to bind us all together/Hope to God it’s not another 9/11.” But this song is wonderfully hopeful. “But if we hold on tight/From sea to shining sea/We’ll find a way to get back to our sanity.” I certainly hope so, but I think it’s going to take certain people (Donald Trump, Mo Brooks, Madison Cawthorn, Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump Jr.) being held accountable and imprisoned before sanity will return. This song is definitely a highlight of this album. John Calarco plays drums on this track.
“Best In Me” is another excellent new song. “Looking back down the road that I’ve been traveling on/There were so many twists and turns, and sometimes I got lost/But if I never took some of those turns/I might not be with you right now.” I think about that very thing rather often, all the various events that led to the moment when I met the love of my life, all the things that had to be in place beforehand. And there is the question of who we’d be without having met our significant others, for as Peggy James sings here, “Because you bring out the best in me.” This is a beautiful song. That’s followed by “So Subtle,” an older song that she is revisiting here. Interestingly, it is also from Crossroad Moment. Four of the five songs she has picked to revisit are from that album. This one has a sweet, cheerful vibe. A love song with lines like “I can tell by the messages you’re sending me/I’m either headed for heaven or for catastrophe.” Then “Joan Of Arc” is the one older song not from Crossroad Moment. It is the title track from another early release. This song has a striking and memorable couple of opening lines: “You are the king/Of the death of everything.”
Ana Vafai returns on violin for “Indoor Cat,” which has an unexpectedly haunting vibe. John Calarco is on drums. “It’s been a long and hot, dry summer/We could use some rain/The forecast says it’s coming.” The final of the older songs revisited here is the title track from Crossroad Moment. This version seems to have more of an easygoing vibe, partially by cutting the intro from the original rendition. This track features one of the album’s best vocal performances. “And if it turns out fine/I might make you my counselor full time/How did you get to know me so well/I never told you all those things about me.” This track has such a cheerful vibe, and it also features Ana Vafai on violin, and John Calarco on drums. The album concludes with its title track, a lively number and another of the disc’s highlights. “The parade is over,” Peggy James repeats at the end.
CD Track List
- I Go With Me
- Willow
- Thousand Reasons
- Guardian Angel
- Hard Times
- Best In Me
- So Subtle
- Joan Of Arc
- Indoor Cat
- Crossroad Moment
- The Parade
The Parade is scheduled to be released on CD on February 18, 2022. It was released digitally on November 19, 2021.
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