The Steepwater Band - Grace And Melody [Review]
1fastdog.
Posted to Music on Mon Apr 13, 2009 at 09:42:22 AM EST (promoted by port1080). RSS.
The best blues-based, neo-classic-rock-band-you've-never-heard-of released a gem of an album last year. Grace And Melody sees The Steepwater Band paying homage to their influences and also staying true to their own sound, while totally destroying the notion that classic rock can't sound fresh in the '00s. These guys don't just rock, they, as the kids so often say, Rawk!
Blues-based rock is a notoriously difficult area to navigate in without sounding derivative; thousands upon thousand of bands have sailed the same waters and foundered upon striking the detritus left by the passing of previous travelers. Creativity is hard to come by in a genre that's been responsible for the start of so many bands for so many years. Luckily, The Steepwater Band has creativity (and talent) in spades. Mixing catchy hooks, instrumental prowess, strong songwriting, and an emotional connection that's absolutely tangible, with Grace And Melody the band has released an album that's deserving of a much wider audience than they're now getting.
Sporting a sound that I'd liken to 'roided up classic rock, but which they characterize as "Heavy Americana" one can imagine these guys falling into a time machine and touring with '70s luminaries like Foghat, ZZ Top, and the Allman Brothers Band. But since this ain't the '70s, perhaps it's helpful to know who they've toured with in our era: Buddy Guy, Wilco, Gov't Mule, Cheap Trick, The Redwalls, Taj Mahal, and Drive-By Truckers to name a few. The new album also has a bit of DNA from the Black Crowes embedded in its soul - not only did the band meet at a Black Crowes concert, former Crowes guitarist Marc Ford was brought in as producer of the album.
While you can probably glean the general aura of the band by all of the previously referenced artists, they're not in any way a tired rehash of classic rock clichés. The band has a very muscular presence; the guitars absolutely shine as they stretch out and the resulting tones are fabulous; the rhythm section has a steel backbone that anchors the fireworks into a cohesive whole. Years of touring have turned The Steepwater Band into a crack unit across the board, and all of that experience has in turn allowed the band to make a modern version of a definitive classic rock album in an era that rarely sees the need to revisit, let alone redefine a template many folks would claim as a dead-end at best and just plain ol' dead at worst.
Tracklist and final thoughts to follow:
- At the Fall of the Day (YouTube)
- All the Way to Nowhere (MP3)*
- Lord Knows
- Healer
- Waiting to Be Offended
- Roadblock
- One Way Ride
- Fire Away
- Grace and Melody
- Varoomp!
- World Keeps Moving On
Aficionados of blues-based classic rock should be in heaven with this album in their hands. Songs range from slow burning and desperate to earnestly scorching rockers. As noted above, the guitar work is utterly fantastic with an emotional depth present that's too often forgotten by other practitioners in this style of music. Stumbling blocks are few. "Roadblock" is very generic compared to the rest of the songs. "Waiting To Be Offended" runs over 13 and 1/2 minutes and could've been trimmed back a little. Lead singer Jeff Massey occasionally sounds a little too much like Black Crowes vocalist Chris Robinson. Honestly these are all minor quibbles, the album is a gold nugget of catchy '70s rock-n-roll that's been bastardized and modernized and is all the better for it.
8 out of 10 and recommended for those that like their rock classic, their hair long, and their guitar licks based in the blooze.
*More free MP3s available from the band's media page.
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