Peter Woolston

“this is a solid outing that paints an attractive picture of his talents as a vocalist, songwriter and guitarist ... Woolston specializes in melodic, guitar-powered alternative rock, and it is evident that he has a knack for memorable hooks ... Woolston is as infectious on “Dead Man Walking,” “Obsession” and “I Believe In You” as he is on “Better Man Someday” and the title track (all of which he wrote by himself) ... Hope On My Horizon is definitely an album that counts its blessings and sees the glass as half full rather than half empty ... enjoyable outing” - Alex Henderson (Billboard, Spin, The L.A. Weekly, Creem, etc)

It’s official. I am now a lifelong, sold-out fan of New Zealand songwriters. I’m not sure what’s in the water down there in the land of Kiwis, but whatever it is is producing fantastic music.

Before I talk about Peter Woolston’s new five-song EP “Hope On My Horizon,” let me explain my comment above. I first discovered Kiwi songwriters when I bought “Everyone Is Here” by Finn Brothers in 2005, composed of brothers Neil Finn and Tim Finn, the duo behind Crowded House (i.e. the band that did the huge hit “The Dream Is Over” and who, in recent years, reunited to record the masterpiece album “Intriguer”). The Finn brothers’ music is timeless, and their songwriting is exquisite. I could go on about music from that general area of the world (i.e. the talented Christian singer Nathan Tasker from Australia, whom I reviewed recently), but let me get to the point.

I enjoyed Peter Woolston’s EP as much as I’ve enjoyed the legendary Neil and Tim Finn. And if the music isn’t awesome enough, Peter is also involved with an incredible ministry called Mercy Ships: “Since 1978, Mercy Ships has performed more than one billion dollars’ worth of life-changing medical services on hundreds of thousands of the world’s poorest people – all for free.” (And Peter is donating 50% of his sales from the album’s title track to Mercy Ships.)

Peter Woolston Christian Music Review At Rocking Gods HouseOther critics have noted that it is guitar-driven, melodic rock. Yes, I would agree with them to an extent (though there are some great piano-driven rock moments too), but even more than that it is true songwriting-based rock music. That kind of trait is more rare. You could take Peter’s songs, remove all the production and instruments, and record the songs on an old tape recorder as he sings and strums them on a dusty guitar, and they would still carry impressive emotional power. That’s the beauty of original, carefully crafted songwriting, and that’s exactly what Woolston accomplishes, especially with songs like “Hope On My Horizon.”

The album glides nimbly through its chord progressions, lyrical themes, and melodic developments with the agility of a songwriter who has spent some serious time studying his craft. (And it’s no surprise to learn that Peter earned a Certificate of Songwriting at the legendary Berklee College of Music in Boston, which has produced world-class songwriters and artists for decades.)

Also, the melodic shapes are (thank the Lord) NOT noodly, which I have found to be a problem in Christian songwriting in recent years. (And I’m saying this from an educated stand-point, I promise — not just making this up — I earned my degree in music composition in college.) Noodly songwriting happens when your melody fumbles around the same cluster of closely related notes without ever (or rarely) arching up into a notable high point or sinking down to a contrasting lower range. There’s no distinctive shape, in other words. It’s like looking at a bunch of easily forgettable rolling hills rather than looking up in awe at a huge mountain peak that has a distinctive, towering shape.

The track “Hope On My Horizon” is my favorite track, not only on the EP, but it’s one of my favorite songs of 2015 of any genre (Christian or secular). A line in the lyrics say: “Things get better, only as you climb.” And with such earnest declarations, the song paints a wide-eyed vision of persuasive hope — the kind of hope that sounds and feels real, sincere, and contagious as you listen. I walked away feeling better about, well, everything. The chorus is wonderfully catchy with its harmonies, and its bridge is one of the best written bridges I’ve heard this year: it contrasts the rich harmonies of the chorus with a glorious octave-pairing between Peter’s voice and a female singer. It adds a powerful exclamation mark to a powerful song.

Lyrically, the songs take a stand for Christ. (And, good grief, how badly we need that.) “Dead Man Walking” and “I Believe In You” (which really gets you pumped up in the chorus) provide a much-need B12 shot to the spiritual backbone. And songs like “Obsession” and “Better Man Someday” stir an immediate longing to grow nearer to Christ every moment of every day — to cast off the snares of this world that so easily ensnare us.

And it’s the little things that make an album for me. I love the muted bass strikes in “Better Man Someday” followed by another golden chorus hook (one of the best rock hooks of 2015, I’m serious — the melodic writing is that good on this album), and Peter’s aggressive singing on “Better Man” and “I Believe In You” is superb. He has a legit rocker’s voice, not just a gentle songwriter’s voice.

And then there’s “Obsession.” From a guitarist’s perspective: I absolutely love the guitar tones and production on this song — lush chorus layers, beautiful palm-muted arpeggios, driving bass beneath it all — and the songwriting moves it all along with perfect pacing. And you can hear layers of influences, from multiple decades of rock genres, weaving together. This is quality stuff.

What a great EP. Nice job, Peter. We’re looking forward to what’s next. - Kevin Ott - Rockin' God's House

“the sound of rocking guitars, pounding basslines, and crashing drums ... pop/rock edge makes his music incredibly accessible ... very distinct alternative rock sound ... akin to something from Foo Fighters or a less grungy Pearl Jam ... guitars have an almost U2 kind of chiming to them and the drums have a forceful stomp ... Labelling Hope On My Horizon as a Christian Rock album doesn’t quite do it the justice that it deserves ... Peter Woolston has created an album that rocks and inspires with equal measure ... this is an EP very much deserving of your time.” - Heath Andrews (interviewer of David Knopfler, Nils Lofgren, and Bruce Hornsby)

"Rock musician Peter Woolston is helping bring life-changing health care services to poor people around the world." - East & Bays Courier

“Like U2 in it’s heyday … kicking rock … grand confident vocals … layered guitars … similar timbre to Switchfoot … enjoyable modern rock album that will easily attract listeners worldwide” - Kelly O’Neil (clients include Foreigner, Jessica Simpson, Kevin Max, Jaci Velasquez, CCM, U and CrossWalk magazines)

“all tracks you can easily get into and sing along with ... these tracks are easy to relate to ... an arena rock sound.” - Alec Cunningham (Blank Newspaper, Knoxville, TN)

"A high energy performance..." - NZ Baptist

"He has travelled around the world to Eastern Europe and Asia, investing in the lives of others who are less fortunate". - Challenge Weekly

"Motivating his guitar-driven songs and gutsy vocals, Woolston's positive influence goes deeper than his music." - Kapi Mana Wellington

Microsoft global promotion of artists - selected as one of a few New Zealand artists - Microsoft

“I’ve played in New Zealand; I’ve played in strange places like Bulgaria, Romania and Russia. I’ve even played in Shanghai, of all places where Christians aren’t normally welcomed so much, and at a conference I won a Karaoke competition, singing one of my songs about becoming a Christian,” he says. “So that was an interesting way to take music and take what we do into a world that doesn’t always like what we’ve got to say as Christians. So I’m one of those kinds of Christian musicians, I never want to take Jesus out of my music because then for me it would be pointless me making my music.” - Challenge Weekly

Ultimately Woolston’s music is about outreach. “The kind of musician I am is that I believe it’s got to be more than the music. Yes, the music’s got be good and people have got to love it but it’s got to be more than music. That could be through what the song is about or where it leaves the person after hearing the song or the character of the musician playing the song, in two years will they be a bad reflection on the song they made which helped someone in their life. These are all big things that really for me,” he says. - Gemma Margerison, Challenge Weekly

Musician Peter Woolston has been performing for over 20 years and has developed a unique style from a blend of international inspiration. - Challenge Weekly