Karen Peck & New River

Reach Out
Daywind Records

When I popped the new Karen Peck & New River (KP&NR) CD, “Reach Out,” in my CD player, it made me want to hop in the truck with the windows down and ride through the country. Karen has remained true to the flavor that brought New River to the dance with hits like “Bend in the River of Life” and “Ten Thousand Angels Cried.” You don’t switch partners with 31 Top 40 hits, including 10 No.1 songs under your belt.

The music tracks keep a current collection of country players and instrumentation. The piano and orchestrations are not prominent but give more of a subtle nuance on most tunes. For the most part, guitar drives the bus on this record, with great compliments from the steel guitar and hook-driven banjo. You’ll even get goose bumps from the black gospel choir on the title track, “Reach Out.” Producer Wayne Haun gets a gold star for not overprocessing the singers. In other words, you won’t be tilting your head like my rat terrier when you hear KP&NR live in concert. They can really sing and it shows on “Reach Out.”