LAURYN PEACOCK LIVE AT THE EAST ROOM

Lauryn Peacock at The East Room in Nashville

There’s a palpable harmony in singer/songwriter Lauryn Peacock’s music. Not the normal harmony that we commonly think of on music blogs, but rather a balance that makes things just feel “right” when listening. To understand it, one must first look at her collective recorded works from 2021. Through her spring-released Theology, her mid-year EP Quarantine Love, and her latest release, I Know A Place, Peacock employs a fine lyrical and musical equilibrium. This same balance came through in her recent live performance at The East Room while celebrating the release of I Know A Place.

Lauryn Peacock I Know A Place Album Release Party

The show featured a 12 song setlist with 11 of the songs coming from the new album. With electric guitar and bass in support, Peacock split time between her own guitar and playing keys. Like an episode of VH1’s Storytellers, she gave Nashville an intimate look at her new record while allowing us to fully appreciate the symmetry in her craft. Both on the album and in concert, her art is explorative without feeling pretentious. She melds smart pop influences with folk, rock, and the slightest hint of country twang. The introspective and self-empowering show opener, “All That’s Mine,” featured Peacock’s carefully placed guitar chords giving it the rock-pop feel of a Phoebe Bridgers work. Moving behind her keyboard, Peacock transitioned into the piano pop ballad, “Breathless.” The clarity of the vocals conjured an instant comparison to Sara Bareilles, but there was a deeper, emotive quality in the vocals, as well as a dark edge of woven guitar, as Peacock took the song in her own sonic direction.

It’s notable that she has a way of taking complex thoughts and expressing them in approachable ways. Her first album from 2021, Theology, explored spiritual tenets without being a religious album. While the night was mostly focused on the release of I Know A Place, Peacock managed to fit “Camus Blues” into the setlist, which is a highlight from the earlier album. A song inspired by the work of French philosopher and writer Albert Camus, it features a galloping rhythm that’s a flashback to classic rock n’ roll and allows its soul come through in the vocals. The version Peacock put together in concert showed off the prowess of the performing trio as they played well off each other, adding a healthy dose of extra guitar rock.

Throughout the night, her songs tackled sadness, fear, and grief, but never took us too far down a depressive path before allowing hopefulness to clear out the shadow. “Saddest of New Years,” could easily have been the theme song for recent times. It perfectly captures the feeling of separation and disappointment we’ve experienced over the last two years. However, Peacock’s works don’t just focus on the angst in our world—she still finds a way to wrap us in a blanket of hope. She sings about love. She sings about empowerment. You can tell she sees the potential in both individuals and the collective of humankind. Peacock shared that show closer, “Into the Light,” is about finding that internal place where we can all be ourselves. Perhaps that place is where Peacock finds that balance that makes, I Know A Place, her show at The East Room, and her collective 2021 works feel so deep, yet relatable.