His album cover is a portrait of himself in front of a velvet red curtain, wearing a white shirt and red cowboy hat. You can’t see his face; he’s wearing a black leather mask with tassels running down past the bottom of the picture. His blue eyes capture your attention, bringing you in and making you wonder who exactly this man is.
Orville Peck is the masked cowboy who is breaking barriers. The Canadian singer’s voice is as smooth as honey, reminiscent of Elvis Presley with hints of Johnny Cash. With only 342,556 monthly listeners on Spotify, Peck is more or less undiscovered. He released his debut album “Pony” in 2019, the songs revolving around love, loss, and an overarching theme of “yeehaw.”
Peck’s style is similar to the old country genre, especially because of the sad guitar riffs, deep voice, and dramatic whistling. He adds his own flares to his vintage-inspired songs, often interweaving recurring themes from old western music with the LGBTQ+ community. The music video for his song “Queen of the Rodeo” focused around drag queens competing in a rodeo pageant, concluding with the dedication message “For all the LGBTQ+ and two-spirit community members working and performing in rodeos, ranches, and roadhouses across North America.”
“Pony” is an absolutely excellent album, and I recommend listening to all of it, but if you’re wondering what songs you should listen to first or are confused as to where to start, these are some of my favorite songs of Peck. I’ve also included my favorite lines from each of them.
1. “Roses are Falling”
My favorite lines: “Back on the run, back to the blue / Winning is fun, losing is, too” “I guess they say nobody’s perfect / But they’ve never met a devil like you”
2. “Dead of Night”
My favorite lines: “Strange canyon road, strange look in your eyes / You shut them as we fly, as we fly” “Scratch on the moon, like a familiar smile / Stained on my mind”
3. “Big Sky”
My favorite lines: “Fell in love with a rider / Dirt king, black crown” “Heartbreak is a warm sensation / When the only feeling that you know is fear”
4. “Queen of the Rodeo”
My favorite lines: “Velvet gloves, you still a stunner / Don’t be down, girl, this world is a bummer” “You know the tune so the words don’t matter / Beyond this town lies a life much sadder”
5. “Take You Back (The Iron Hoof Cattle Call)”
My favorite lines: “Light’s been out, though, baby / And I’ve been long, long gone (Yeehaw)” “It’d be a long cold day in Hell when I take you back.”
I’m not the most avid country fan, but there’s something about Orville Peck that’s refreshing, even with the obvious elements inspired by songs of the past. He’s an amazing artist who is representing a side of country and western music that is more diverse and inclusive than ever before. Give his songs a listen- you might be surprised at how great his music is.