2000 Great Songs #1398: By The Time My Head Gets To Phoenix

I have to admit I was unfamiliar with singer-songwriter Peter Bruntnell until Mary Lou Lord covered "By The Time My Head Gets To Phoenix" on her excellent 2015 record Backstreet Angels. That record, alongside a few new originals, offered a thoughtful and varied collection of covers; and while I was familiar with most of them, this pleasant bath of sweet sweet jangle, sent me scurrying off to track down the original.

It's found on 1999's Normal For Bridgewater, which turned out to be a pretty great record, Americana-tinged folk-rock and pop (which makes this of a piece with yesterday's nod to Kevin Tihista's Red Terror). "Phoenix" makes for a wonderfully catchy, bittersweet ballad that seems perfectly designed for inclusion on a circa-2000 mixtape or coffee shop playlist, something you'll find yourself subconsciously humming the rest of the day.

Solo acoustic remake:

In-store performance:

Mary Lou Lord cover:

Mary Lou live in studio:

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