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There is an overall narrative arc to Pony. As if Peck got on his metaphoric steed and rode off into the Dead of Night and ending where Nothing Fades Like the Light. Along the way, his adventures make sure that Kansas (Remembers Me Now) and even hit the lowdown of Hope to Die, but the end result is uplifting and inspiring. His lyrics pack the same kind of punch that Merle Haggard’s Mama Tried does, where you feel both the pain and the cleansing provided by understanding the spiritual ramifications of your actions.

“All of the songs are based in memories, places I’ve lived, people I’ve met or things I’ve struggled with,” he said. “The country I love tends to be biographical and that’s what makes it special. Even if the perception of this project is that it’s theatrical, this is the most sincere songwriting I’ve done in a lengthy career and I want the audience to hear that.”

The buzz around Peck and Pony suggest that an audience is grasping the music’s emotional impact as well as the entertainment value of the whole rhinestone cowboy in a bondage mask mystique. Bringing some glitz and glam to the torch and twang makes perfect sense. Peck is blessed with one of those instantly memorable baritones that just colours the sound and it sounds as much at home on the musical stage as the range. He can only make country music the way he likes, and this is the direction he is headed in for now.

“I’ve been singing, dancing and playing instruments since I was a little kid and trained classically,” he said. “But I really only found this deeper range in the past six years, before I was a tenor. I did some holistic vocal training and it opened up all of this additional range which I was really excited about.”

Orville Peck is touring North America to universally favourable reviews for his live show. Chicago’s 3CR (Third Coast Review) recently reported that “the first section of the performance felt like a barrage of songs so good that it was overwhelming.” That is the kind of recommendation to get anyone to pony up the money for a ticket.