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Elly Roberts reviews
429 Records
- June 2007
- Rating: 8/10
Steve Forbert was doing Americana long before Americana was invented.
This Mississippi born troubador made his entrance in the late ’70s in New York,where he was quickly, too quickly, labelled the new Bob Dylan which couldhave been the kiss of death. His style bares virtually any resemblence, thoughhe was big fan of Mr. Zimmerman.
Since relocating to Nashville his output has been slow and steady. For threedecades Steve Forbert has done his own thing. Inevitably, because of this status,hes failed commercially in the UK. Back in 79 he had two minor successes withAlive On Arrival (UK album chart No.56) and Jack Rabbit Slim (No.54).
This CD was recorded at Moondog Studios in Nashville and produced by Forbert andTim Coats theyve done a lovely job. Commercially, this probably wont do muchbetter either. Saying that, its well worth grabbing a copy.
This easy-on-the-ear clever eclectic mix kicks into action with bouncy MiddleAge, a take on the benefits of, well, middle age. With horn blasts, and steadybeat, he reflects on the virtues of middle age, though not melancholically, asthe upbeat brings a kind of celebration. An even catchier Strange Namesfollows,and possesses a Springsteen-like quality, with an almost full-on WallOf Sound, and funnily enough theres a New Jersey reference.
Then theres the atmospheric Simply Spalding Gray that ambles gentlywith windpipes texturising the gaps, after which he hits country mode on thesweet clog-happy Man I Miss That Girl, and in a similar frame he usespedal steel to bring out the melancholy of Youre Meant For Me. Best ofthe bunch is the mellow, mid-paced My Seaside Brown-Eyed Girl, which wouldmake an excellent single, and possibly reach the BBC Radio 2 playlist.
Crunching rocker The Baghdad Dream sees Forbert lash out at the Iraqinvasion, in the same way Neil Young had pop on Living With War. Reprisinghis best known song and US hit, Romeos Tune, he signs off with thisglorious, oh yes, Dylan-like classic.
Worth every penny.
Weblink:steveforbert.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Middle Age
2. Strange Names
3. Simply Spalding Gray
4. Man, I Miss That Girl
5. Youre Meant For Me
6. I Will Sing Your Praise
7. Something Special
8. My Seaside Brown-Eyed Girl
9. The Baghdad Dream
10. Thirty More Years
11. Around The Bend
12. Romeos Tune
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.