State of Grace
Neo-folkie Pierce Pettis can always be counted on for poetic  songs of beauty and passion that arrive at a listener's head and heart  at precisely the same time. OnState of Gracehis low-key  compositions, delivered with an easy gait, illuminate the many facets  of the Southern experience. All of his references to genteel manners  and verandas and Confederate statues might seem like glossy picture  post cards, except that Pettis, an Alabaman, also finds the unique  truths of a geographic region that's lost much of its identity with the  Wal-Mart homogenization of America. Most of his songs, whether steeped  in the folk tradition or flirting with blues or rock, carry an undertow  of spirituality that promises something more than man's troubles on  this earth, and in these endeavors, especially "I've Got a Hope,"  Pettis manages to bypass cloying sentiment in conjuring something real.   As the singer-songwriter puts it, this is an album "peppered with  hope." Well said, and well done, too. And yes, with grace.--Alanna  Nash