Being Human

Michael Peterson used to be a motivational speaker, and now that he's a country star, he seems to have a similarly inspirational intent. Like his hero Garth Brooks, Peterson makes music to live by, except that (unlike Garth at his best) he tends to deliver his messages as wisdom imparted from on high rather than lessons learned. So even a song with solid advice like "You Find Love When You Make It"--a cut that follows the album's Garth + Michael McDonald sound equation--comes off like you're being talked down to by someone who's sure he has all the answers. And some of those answers are downright scary. "Two of the Lucky Ones," a duet with Bekka Bramlett, means to express a profound gratitude but winds up expounding a grim theology: if you've found true love, Peterson explains, then you're one of a "chosen few" upon whom "heaven sure smiled." Apparently then, an arbitrary heaven frowns down upon the unlucky rest of us, or ignores us altogether. So much for motivation. --David Cantwell