The Flannery O'Connor of Singer-Songwriters

If you've never listened to anything by Pierce Pettis, go and buy one of his CDs now. Like Flannery O'Connor, Pettis is a Southerner (he's from Alabama) whose work is haunted with Catholic ethos.

Here's an interview Pettis did with WORLD Magazine back in 2004:

Pierce Pettis has spent 25 years crafting songs full of insight, imagination, and emotion, often drawing on the imagery and landscape of his boyhood in the American South. His new, eighth album, Great Big World, is receiving reviews like this one from British critic Neil Pearson, who called it "one of the best singer/ songwriter albums of the past few years" and said, "few writers draw you into a song like Pierce Pettis."

Such critical praise is not new to Mr. Pettis, whose previous work critic Alanna Nash called "songs of beauty and passion that arrive at a listener's head and heart at precisely the same time." His albums, though, have never had large sales, and in a recent e-mail interview he discussed his faith and his attitude toward anticipating a small audience for Great Big World.

WORLD: As you look over your collection of songs, do you see a pattern, or certain themes emerging?

Pettis: I guess if I had to look for recurring themes, it would be the same old alienation and grace. It's not anything conscious on my part, but I always seem to come back to that. As I look at them, many of these lyrics seem quite hopeful and positive—but in the midst of the strangeness of it all.

WORLD: Your songs often have strong spiritual/biblical motifs. How intentional is that on your part? How has the Bible or, more broadly, Christianity as a whole, shaped the way you think about writing songs?

Pettis: As to my personal beliefs, I'm a Christian and a Catholic and there's no doubt that has impact on the way I think about everything. If you believe in the sacred, then the secular world doesn't exist. But as to my intentions, my intention has always been just to write a good song.

I think an audience appreciates it if you're being honest with them and will allow you to sing on just about any subject you want—so long as you don't violate that trust with pontification or preaching.

WORLD: Your songs, even those with more overt biblical content, are never preachy. Why do you avoid that?

Pettis: My goal is to remind the audience and myself of things we already know rather than try to tell them anything. There's a saying where I'm from, "I don't know nothing . . . but I suspect a lot."

WORLD: While many of your songs highlight spiritual themes, many simply tell good stories. How does your spirituality come into play writing songs where the "spiritual" content is less overt?

Pettis: I guess my spirituality just wants me to tell the truth. And maybe with a little compassion and humor. It's not so much a spiritual thing—just a desire to be true to my work, true to my audience, and true to myself. I want to write songs that listeners can see themselves in instead of just seeing me.

[More]

Without knowing anything about him at the time, the first time I ever heard one of Pettis' songs on the radio a few years ago (and the song wasn't even overtly spiritual), I said to Sarah, "That guy's got to be a Catholic. You can just tell." Sure enough.





UPDATE (3 March 2008)
You can listen to a few of Pettis' songs in full here.