Alice Peacock

Life Changes and New Perspectives

Much has changed for singer-songwriter Alice Peacock since her last solo studio album, 2009's Love Remains. She's had three kids, moved to Cincinnati, and gotten 10 years older. "Feel the weight of the world on my shoulders/ Am I wiser or am I just older?" she sings on "Dry Spell," from her new collection, Minnesota.

Midlife Wisdom

The record suggests that despite her wondering what all is yet to be, she has indeed attained a measure of wisdom. She uses the word midlife but does not follow it by crisis. She views her current outlook more as an awareness of life's fragility and an appreciation of its sweetness. "Being a parent, I don't know that I could love any more than I do right now," she says, "so I've also never been more vulnerable. I have everything to lose."

Contemplative Spirit

Further evidence of this contemplative spirit can be heard on the album closer "God Be Near Me," about which Peacock says, "I wrote a hymn out of nowhere! I was sitting at the piano one day going, 'Am I completely screwing this all up?' And I found myself thinking, 'Help me to stay focused on love.'" The lyrics ask, "Help me to surrender/ And love the world the way you do/ Now and ever after/ And live in love the way you do."

Exploring Love

On Minnesota, Peacock explores an understanding of love, in particular, that transcends hearts and flowers, Sturm und Drang. "Resting in the Quiet" acknowledges a glimpse of the divine in unspoken eloquence: "We don't have to talk about it/ We don't have to say a word/ We can wrap ourselves in silence/ Cause I've already heard/ Everything your eyes are saying."

Parental Love

A departure from romantic love, "Free and Wild" is a lullaby sung from the point of view of someone with a love so fierce it hurts. Peacock likens parenthood to going through life with your heart outside your body.

Homage to Home

The album's title track is a love song to her home state, where her family spends their summers. "I've lived in Illinois and Tennessee and now Ohio and I love them all, but there's something about home. As soon as I get back to Minnesota and hear the birds and smell the air, I feel, 'This is mine; this is me.' " In the song, she recalls sitting in sacred silence, watching the electric light show playing wide across the sky.