INDIO, Winston-Salem Journal ©Aug. 5, 1989 by Ed Bumgardner
Is There a Different Producer in the House?
Indio, Big Harvest, A&M (CD, LP and cassette; reviewed on CD) Three Stars
Indio is not a group, per se, but a shifting group of performers led by newcomer Gordon Peterson -- a Canadian singer, sonwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
While Peterson is unfamiliar to music fans outside his immediate circle of family and friends, the "support group" of musicians who dropped in during the recording of Big Harvest will raise a few eyebrows.
Contributing generous chunks of their talents to Peterson's debut were singers Joni Mitchell and Brenda Russell; guitarist-producer David Rhodes (Peter Gabriel); bassist-producer Larry Klein (Ms. Mitchell, Gabriel); keyboardist Van Dyke Parks, and jazz drummers Alex Acuna, Vinnie Colaiuta and Manny Elias. They were, unfortunately, a little too generous.
Big Harvest is a solid piece of work, beautiful in its aural splendor, adventurous in its creative scope. Yet the contributions of the supporting cast, when combined with the heavy-handed production of Rhodes and Klein, colors the record to the point where Peterson's own contributions and visions are often obscured, if not totally lost.
Peterson writes complex, unconventional pop-folk filled with airy arrangements and instrumentation borrowed from international musical cultures. Lyrically and musically, he is searching for spirituality and global harmony while asking the world to dance to a brand new beat, a world beat.,
Thus, Peterson finds himself bravely treading in the territory blazed by Gabriel, something capatalized on by Peterson's producers, both Gabriel sidemen. To his credit, however, Peterson's Gabriel-esque arrangements and vocal mannerisms are more homage than theft. Like Gabriel's recent work, Big Harvest is built on strong, ever-shifting rhythmic base, colored by eerie guitar figures, screeching Indian violins, chanting vocals and majestic keyboard arrangements.
But unlike some of Gabriel's recent commercial work, Peterson's songs remain focused in their musical vision, retaining sensitivity and human warmth among the machinery. Peterson, too, realizes the power in silence, never allowing the arrangemnets to grow bombastic. His work remains grounded (if a bit too familiar) while conveying a deep-seated sense of spirituality.
Peterson is a gifted composer who is guilty only of honoring his musical mentor too well. If and when he finds his own voice -- an unbiased producer sympathetic to such a cause would certainly help -- he will be a force to be reckoned with.