Downtown Franklin, Tenn., provided the perfect setting last Friday night for Gretchen Peters’ album release party/performance. Like the record, the town’s Main Street is charming, pristine, and just a little bit out of the way. And, also like the record, the performance was refined, restrained, and just about perfect.

As she made her way through almost all of Blackbirds, Peters and her band (Barry Walsh on piano, Doug Lancio on guitar, Dave Francis on bass, Nick Buda on drums, and David Henry on cello and mandolin) did an amazing job of recreating the subtle sophistication of the recording through controlled crescendos and understated solos. When you’re as good as this group is, you don’t need to show off. Still, Lancio got to step out a few times, most notably on “When All You Got Is a Hammer,” “Everything Falls Away,” and “Black Ribbons.”

To read this review in its entirety, view it at the No Depression website.

photo by Rebecca Bauer