Pete Anderson's 'Even Things Up' Exudes Distinctly Blues Vib

Photo: Little Dog Records
Pete AndersonPete Anderson rose to fame as a producer, guitarist and backup singer for country superstar Dwight Yoakam. But Pete's sound is firmly rooted in the blues¹, a direction he took on his latest album, Even Things Up.
Pete Anderson got his first taste of blues and country at an early age, first listening to his father's record collection, and then seeing Elvis Presley on national television.
His return to playing blues was only natural since Pete grew up in a city known for its musical legacy².
"Growing up in Detroit when I did was a great opportunity because the music wasn't segregated³ or segmented in any way," Pete explains. "Folk-blues existed with Delta⁴ blues [which] existed with field hollers [which] existed with [blues singer] Bobby Bland⁵. So, I really listened and lived in a wide spectrum⁶ of music.
Pete Anderson's "Even Things Up" CD
"In making this record I wanted to make sure that I represented what I do and how I do it," adds Pete. "I listened to a lot of Chicago blues growing up and saw a lot of those guys, so I kind of wanted to represent everything on the record that I felt was a part of what I do the best."
His versatility⁷ as a producer, arranger, and musician was just what Dwight Yoakam was looking for when the pair joined forces in 1984. Their partnership⁸ lasted for nearly two decades and included best-selling albums and sold-out world tours.
Looking back at their days as struggling musicians on the Los Angeles club circuit, Pete says it was pure chemistry that first brought them together.
"My motive⁹ was to play guitar and his was to write songs and sing, so we were a perfect match," notes Pete, "and the songs were definitely a vehicle. If Dwight felt down about something I was there to say, ‘No, that's not right, these are great songs. We've got to step this up. Don't worry about it. The material is terrific.' The two of us having the same dream and the same confidence, I think, in retrospect¹⁰, was pretty powerful."
Pete's solo career continues to climb with 'Even Things Up,' produced on his own label, Little Dog Records. The deluxe¹¹ edition includes two live tracks and an original tune¹² titled "Still In Love," featuring Nashville vocalist Bekka Bramlett.

1 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

2 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

3 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。

4 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

5 bland   

adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的

参考例句：

• He eats bland food because of his stomach trouble.他因胃病而吃清淡的食物。
• This soup is too bland for me.这汤我喝起来偏淡。

6 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

7 versatility   

n.多才多艺，多样性，多功能

参考例句：

• Versatility is another of your strong points,but don't overdo it by having too many irons in the fire.你还有一个长处是多才多艺，但不要揽事太多而太露锋芒。
• This versatility comes from a dual weather influence.这种多样性是由于双重的气候影响而形成的。

8 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

9 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

10 retrospect   

n.回顾，追溯；v.回顾，回想，追溯

参考例句：

• One's school life seems happier in retrospect than in reality.学校生活回忆起来显得比实际上要快乐。
• In retrospect,it's easy to see why we were wrong.回顾过去就很容易明白我们的错处了。

11 deluxe   

adj.华美的，豪华的，高级的

参考例句：

• This system puts the top hotels in a special deluxe category.这种分类法把最高级的旅馆列为特殊豪华级。
• I liked the deluxe edition,but I could afford only a second best.我喜欢精装版，但我只买得起一本稍差一点的。

12 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。