Charlie Peacock's new release strangelanguage, an album that has more spunk and fire than Peacock has shown since the old days, when he was "alternative"--especially with the surprising, Peter Gabriel-meets-industrial experiment on "Struck Blind"--proves that his relevancy never had any reason to be questioned. Though he may be known for his work as producer with such artists as Margaret Becker and Out of the Grey (not exactly 120 Minutes material), Peacock is as honest a writer as Michael Roe, and as deep a thinker as Terry Taylor (Daniel Amos, Swirling Eddies). And strangelanguage only serves to reinforce this membership in this exclusive club. Peacock the musician allows himself to stretch out and improvise on the album, whereas in the past, his musical skills have often been overshadowed by the attention he's paid to the messages in his songs. It's true that the playing often does seem to come first here, but once you get past its many musical sparks, songs like "Insult Like the Truth" will impress you with their striking lyrical metaphors. Each listener is bound to hear something different in strangelanguage. And to paraphrase the title cut, it might make you deadly nervous, or it just might bring you some relief. Whatever the case, it's guaranteed to speak to you.