Sweetheart, Keep Your Chin Up, by Vanessa Peters & Ice Cream on Mondays

Sweetheart, Keep Your Chin Up

by Vanessa Peters & Ice Cream on Mondays

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agutterfan Alternative literate country against the backdrop of the US war in Iraq, too many mid-tempo songs but a fine collection, and "Good News" reminds me of A&M period Phil Ochs, the late & great. Favorite track: Good News.

Štefan Valica I watched this song on YouTube and I like it very much. Cool song. <3 Favorite track: Drowning in Amsterdam.

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1.	Good News 04:20	lyrics	buy track
i'm getting tired of this one-way conversation i've been singing at the top of my lungs and nothing seems to be getting through i guess these are songs you've already been sung and the girls say don't get lost in the job it's just a way to make ends meet but it's so hard when i sing and you don't hear me you just keep staring at your feet but there's good news in the paper today this war keeps draggin' on and they're sending more sailors out to sea to get sucked in by a song so i sing my songs in a minor key but it don't seem to do any good i guess they're all a whole lot stronger than me they just sail on home like they should and i've never been much good at this job but it's the only place that i call home so i sink down and get under the waves and they keep sailin' on but there's good news in the paper today this war keeps draggin' on and they're sending more sailors out to sea to get sucked in by a song so i guess she's a pretty one waiting in your bed i could've made you the king of the sea but i watched as you turned that ship around you chose her instead of me but there's good news in the paper today this war keeps draggin' on and they're sending more sailors out to sea to get sucked in by a song
2.	The War 03:22	lyrics	buy track
planes keep on crashing and lightning bugs ricochet off my sleeve and into my heart and i ask them to stay leave behind a little spark because sometimes you need some help out of the dark and not everything ends well not everything's a fairy tale but i'm here to tell you i've been in the war not everything works out but honey, never doubt i'm gonna fight for us in the war push back and away we float tonight just one more chance to get it right hold on tight to that tiny spark let's pull ourselves up out out of the dark and not everything ends well not everything's a fairy tale but i'm here to tell you i've been in the war not everything works out but honey, never doubt i'm gonna fight for us in the war
3.	The Next Big Bang 03:34	lyrics	buy track
we are many miles apart and i'm no better than the average jane. the sky is without stars or i miss you cards so i try hard not to complain about the weather or anything else here cause things have pretty much stayed the same since the call came and you headed on your odyssey, trying to make a name. and most days i just hold my breath, await the next big bang, cause every new storm that blows in could bring you back again. i sit at home and work this loom, look straight through the boys and mutter little prayers. i weave myself a piece of sanity and hope you're safe out there. and most days i just hold my breath, await the next big bang, cause every new storm that blows in could bring you back and i know the road is long. i know the sea is wide and deep. but i know you promised to come home, and that's a promise you should keep. and most days i just hold my breath, await the next big bang, cause every new storm that blows in could bring you back again.
4.	Austin, I Made a Mess 04:13	lyrics	buy track
i had a heart full of good intent a sweet little house, paid a decent rent but i shouted and shouted and no one heard. i tried to carve out my own little place i followed the rules til i was blue in the face but someone else always had the last word. and if a tree falls and no one hears well it's like that with all of these years no one knows what happened so maybe nothing really happened... and austin, i made a mess out of this and i'm going home. i only saw the dark of your sunny side, it left me feeling alone. and you won't even notice cause a lot of people come and go. you only hear what you want to hear. you only know who you wanna know. well i guess i tried to tame you, but you know that you can't blame me for that cause i know i'm not the first to make that mistake. and you never made me a promise but you seemed so full of promises was i fool to think there's one in there for me? and if a tree falls and no one hears well it's like that with all of these years no one knows what happened so maybe nothing really happened... and austin, i made a mess out of this and i'm going home. i only saw the dark of your sunny side, it left me feeling alone. and you won't even notice cause a lot of people come and go. you only hear what you want to hear. you only know who you wanna know.
5.	Drowning in Amsterdam 03:56	lyrics	buy track
well it could rain for days and then where would i be? tethered to this chair, barely capable of gravity. tethered to the earth, to the tram bell and the rain. tethered to a ghost that i may never see again and it could rain for days and then where would i be? drowning here in amsterdam, on my way out to the sea. so i'm tethered to this moment, like i am to all those past, to all those sworn forever that managed not to last. i'm tethered to this frame i wear that keeps me just upright, tethered to these dreams of you that keep me up at night. and it could rain for days and then where would i be? drowning here in amsterdam, on my way out to the sea. well they're stacking up the chairs outside before they float away. all of man's handiwork won't keep the sea at bay. they pumped the country dry here to claim a piece of land but we've melted down the icebergs - water's comin' back again... and it could rain forever and the streets would never dry i'd struggle on against the flood, unable to cry cause the sea's closed off, and i cannot drift away. i'm tethered here in amsterdam with what i didn't say. and it could rain for days and then where would i be? drowning here in amsterdam, on my way out to the sea. and it could rain for days and then where would i be? floating down the amstel, on my way out to the sea.
6.	Medals 05:23	lyrics	buy track
well it's always been such a contest with you. the score is never final 'til you say we're through. and i built you a pair of wings, and onward you flew, and now every so often i get a small bit of news. but i'm tired of chasing medals. i'll never run as fast as you backpedal. and a few years after the games have passed, you sit there watching your gold, and i'm not so sure the silver and bronze aren't just for the audience at home and i resign myself to the distance the million laps it would take to reach where you sit the salt in my eyes and my weak jello heart and i wonder if it's even worth it. well there are some dreams that you'll never capture they loom over your head and they block out the sun and you stare at them, enraptured. and that's how you fell out of love with me and in love with higher stature and your friends shook their heads and said boy, you'd better hurry and catch her cause she's tired of chasing medals. she'll never run as fast as you backpedal. and a few years after the games have passed, you sit there watching your gold, and i'm not so sure the silver and bronze aren't just for the audience at home and i resign myself to the distance the million laps it would take to reach where you sit the salt in my eyes and my weak jello heart and i wonder if it's even worth it. and i'm tired of chasing medals. i'll never run as fast as you backpedal. and a few years after the games have passed, you sit there watching your gold, and i'm not so sure the silver and bronze aren't just for the audience at home and i resign myself to the distance the million laps it would take to reach where you sit the salt in my eyes and my weak jello heart and i wonder if it's even worth it.
7.	Keep Your Chin Up 04:57	lyrics	buy track
well there are no pills left to swallow the bitterest part's gone down no brick road left to follow 'cause the storm's blown through town and i am sifting through old postcards i filed inside my head where islands glow like ruby shoes and you meant every word you said so kansas, keep your chin up - the good witch is still around, and i am packing up the postcards and getting out of town. you were trapped inside a camera convex and upside down i could not save us from it the sky was burned and browned it was curling at the edges as the fire destroyed it all and all that kept us on the ledge, dear, was the memory of the fall so adam, keep your chin up - i am taking all the blame, and i will bury all the apple cores and leave you your good name. and there are no wicked witches here, just fairy tales unlearned. princes off their horses, happy endings spurned in favor of some sad post-modern finish to our tale postcards trapped in bottles and ships that don't set sail so sweetheart, keep your chin up - i admit it's all my fault. the postcards all are water-logged, and the ship has filled with salt. and every postcard held a little lie that was meant to glue this shut, but i forgot to fix myself, dear, and it was me who fell apart.
8.	The Grammar of a Sinking Ship 02:49	lyrics	buy track
well it's so unfair for you and it's so unfair of me to be swaying back and forth i'm a lot more saw than see and i am more gone than going i'm more past than i am present i left or i am leaving the tense makes little difference cause it's the meaning of the word that really matters more it's the action of the verb i was tearing then i tore your heart right out of place and sent it out to sea no captain or a first mate to guide back to me but i pulled up the drawbridge i hoped the ships would pass but metal scraped on metal i knew this song would be our last i tried to call and save you when i realized what i'd done but only the gods could have saved you and then my dear, you were gone.... and the clearance was too low i'd waited too long and everything went under and all the siren songs couldn't tempt you into jumping you were already overboard choking on our memories while i refused to cut the cord but i pulled up the drawbridge i hoped the ships would pass but metal scraped on metal i knew this song would be our last i tried to call and save you i realized what i'd done but only the gods could have saved you and then my dear, you were gone.... you were gone. you were gone. you were gone.
9.	First Lesson 03:58	lyrics	buy track
this is my first lesson in dying how we are no longer even friends and now you're just one of the many that i may never see again but you may as well have been in the towers that came crashing down folded in upon themselves and went way down underground but maybe you were in the harbor when the planes flew overhead in the market square where the holy man decided you were dead they never found you in the square or at the bottom of the sea they never found you in manhattan so there's some place you might be and this is the next lesson in dying sometimes the dead just don't stay dead you came along when my brain was concrete, freshly poured, now i have the imprint of every word you said but now you're one of many casualties, and there's no list of names. you vanished somewhere in the crowd, and it all went up in flames. or maybe you were in the harbor when the planes flew overhead in the market square where the holy man decided you were dead they never found you in the square or at the bottom of the sea they never found you in manhattan so there's some place you might be and you're dead to me and i'm dead to you at your request i wonder if this is what they mean when they say it's for the best cause we were all inside the towers when they came crashing down in the market square where the holy man blew up the whole damn town but you were nowhere near the square or at the bottom of the sea you were nowhere near manhattan so there's some place you might, you might be... where could you be??
10.	Coming to Meet Me 05:25	lyrics	buy track
it's not the wings of pegasus that carry me tonight across a deep, dark sea. so i cannot sit back i cannot relax enjoy the flight and get some sleep. but over the freeway, i see a pair of lights i think recognize. could that be you, coming to meet me? and it's true i've been away, but now i'm coming home to stay. is that too much to ask that that's you coming to meet me? and the plane touches down i see relief in the faces all around me. and i know that i said the wrong thing i know i left it hanging by a string but i'm hoping it's still there, hanging on. chorus he's at the service of the poets, at the service of the oil men. he's still king of the magnolia, even though you can't see him. and the buildings now are much too tall cause modern times have changed it all but i still remember when i was a kid. and i remember thinking that a prince would come and save me swoop down on pegasus to where i hid. chorus
11.	Saint Anthony 04:29	lyrics	buy track
well st. anthony, i'm slipping i've gotta learn to walk with a rope tied round my waist if i insist on digging up every past mistake and resurrection's a scary thing when it sneaks up on you maybe the tomb should stay closed 'cause ghosts aren't for talking to but st. anthony there seems to be something i've lost and it's staring me square in the face. and st. anthony can you take a moment's pause and sift through what can still be saved? well i thought i saw a rooftop, covered in snow but it was only made of steel reflecting light in the sun and i could use nerves of steel now 'cause i'm coming undone and sometimes there's bridges to burn but what if you burn the wrong one? well you'd better be a good swimmer in the long run and st. anthony there seems to be something i've lost and it's staring me square in the face. and st. anthony can you take a moment's pause and sift through what can still be saved?
12.	Just Down 02:37	lyrics	buy track
well how many times do i have to tell you? do as i say, not as i do. but i know that you don't hear me. you're so far gone, it's like never knew me. well i'm still sending up my prayers, but are they listening up there? and how small were we down below? did you think you'd pull that trick and that we'd never know? and did you think that you were brave as you flew away with those wings I made? and i'm still sending prayers to you, but the smog's too thick and they can't break through... and now your wings are melting fast. you're covered in sticky wax. you're so far gone that you can't turn back, and from here... i guess it's just down. and what was it like as you fell? did you think you'd bust right straight through and go on straight to hell? or was there a moment when you thought you were saved?
13.	A Million Little Rocks 03:55	lyrics	buy track
i let go of your hand when the nails filled the air. the sky splintered apart and the pieces pierced our hearts. it would've been better to end there 'cause at least i could say that i died loving you doing nothing wrong no one yet betrayed. and dear god, i am small here on the edge. please pick me up and float me across the sea. put me in a little boat and i swear i'll try to row. and i swear, i won't give up this time. and i swear, i won't give up this time. there are a million little rocks to throw or place inside my pockets. i could start another war, or sink down under without a second thought. lift my skirt above my ankles, and just start to wade on in, but as the water rises your face it floats up again. and dear god, i am small here on the road. it bends and it folds, and finishes at the sea, so put me in a little boat and i swear i'll try to row. and i swear, i won't give up this time. and i swear, i won't give up this time.
14.	Okay from Now On 06:06	lyrics	buy track
while you were sleeping late the neighbors will debate who was in your driveway this morning but here comes the sunrise and i know how to take a cue i know when i've had my warning but i back out in neutral i do not make a sound i've got my cloak of invisibility wrapped tightly around and i tell myself that everything will be okay from now on if i just close my eyes and believe it the unraveling of love is sometimes hard but there is only so long you can grieve it. and it's not worth admission to get into this town and by admission i mean confession and there's no getting around that i'm still pulling up the sidewalk to find the lost storyline to find the clues to lead me back to what i left behind but the breadcrumbs are all paved over and the forest has been cut down so i've got my cloak of invisibility wrapped tightly around and i tell myself that everything will be okay from now on if i just close my eyes and believe it the unraveling of love is sometimes hard but there is only so long you can grieve it. mothers walk their daughters to school little pig-tailed girls in winter coats somehow that's the kind of thing that i still miss the most but i tell myself that everything will be okay from now on if i just close my eyes and believe it the unraveling of love is sometimes hard but there is only so long you can grieve it.

about

In a box marked "sounds like Sarah Harmer" I store away records like this for rainy days and those chosen moments when I feel the need of female serenading.

An Austin native yet now more accustomed to a life on the road, Vanessa Peters serves up a lovely dollop of mainstream roots with a side order of twang and just a dash of jangle that has at its core a witty and observant songwriter whose imagination is allowed to roam free. Hooks a-plenty 'Sweetheart, Keep Your Chin Up' is essentially a pop record that would brighten up any of those utterly dull daytime shows on Radio 2.

Take "Austin, I've Made A Mess" for example, a record that screams out PLAY ME, was written to warm the cockles of Wogan's heart, ah be jeezus it would. "Drowning In Amsterdam" is one of those infuriating songs (but in a good way, if you know what I mean) that you can t get out of your head, all layered and lithe. Whilst "The Next Big Bang" sounds like a song Aimee Mann would be delighted to perform let alone write.

Any band called Ice Cream On Mondays had better be bleeding good. Thankfully they are crisp, responsive, and unobtrusive. Just how I like 'em. It's a cliché to say there isn't a bad track on the record but, well, there isn't a bad track on the record. Five albums in and Peters has surely cracked it this time.

I defy anyone with a ear for a catchy melody sung in a beautiful, rich and completely engaging voice not to be enamoured with this baby. Fans of Sheryl Crow will love it I am sure. Lets hope they buy it in their droves.

--Americana UK

credits

released March 1, 2009

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about

Vanessa Peters Austin, Texas

Indie singer/songwriter from Texas. Musician, Italophile, Virgo, coffee nerd, food lover, bossy-pants, big ol' softie.
I've released 10+ albums and played over 1000 shows in 11 countries. I'm not done yet.