Seasick Steve: Songs for Elizabeth
Seasick Steve: Songs for Elizabeth
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By Matt Hallam. |  |
Monday, 08, Feb 2010 04:12
By Denise Trench
Atlantic, out Monday February 7th 2010.
In a nutshell
Charming, bluesy, compact, unsurprising, purpose-built.
What's it all about?
The latest offering in the form of a seven-song album from Seasick Steve - not so much new as re-released, being a collection of previous tunes built for the purpose of Valentine's Day sales.
Who's it by?
Seasick Steve is the dungareed scraggly bearded 60-something wandering man who built his musical career on the image of a hobo who likes nothing better than to whip out a one-stringed guitar and entertain with bare-bones talent. He first shot to fame after impressing audiences during his first UK TV slot on Jools Hollands Hootenanny in 2006.
As an example
"If you want me to stay, I'll stash my sleepin roll under your bed/my name is Steve and I'm your stayin man, yes I am." - Walkin Man.
"My home is where your blue eyes are and my town is where your brown hair falls/Lets get down to plain speakin/you're the reason my heart keeps beatin/and that's about as deep it gonna get." - My Home (Blue Eyes)
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
This will earn points with those awaiting the arrival of new material, willing to buy whatever else is re-released in between. It could also serve as a gateway for the uninitiated - although Seasick Steve's talents are much better illustrated by his earlier material.
What the others say
"Oddly more compellingly romantic on this seven-track mini-album packaged in greeting-card format specially for Valentine's Day." - Independent.
"This mini-album is another treat from the one-stringed wonder." - Liverpool Echo.
So is it any good?
The worst thing that can happen to a new artist, full of promise and fresh approaches, is for them to sign a contract which obliges them to churn out a ridiculous number of records at a breakneck pace.
Their capabilities are spread far too thinly and fans who would take quality over quantity any day are left scratching their heads in a cloud of smoke.
Alas, this seems to be something Seasick Steve's label is in danger of doing. The guy may look like a hobo, dress like a hobo and sing like one of the American dream-rejected 'Easy Rider' generation, following the concept of the fellaheen, singing the blues from state to state with nothing but a can o' beans and a smile.
However, this is his living, he has contracts, obligations, monetary demands to satisfy and nothing highlights this more than an EP full of songs from other albums.
The theme of traditional romantic love is not the place to look when trying to get a picture of what Seasick Steve is all about.
Sure, there are romantic elements to his music - hopping on and off trains, living a downtrodden but somehow pure lifestyle and entertaining with nothing but a battered old guitar. However, Seasick Steve's narratives are littered with much more original themes than trying to snare a member of the opposite sex. Such as avoiding chigger bites or discovering the joys of a cheap bottle of Thunderbird.
Yes, the tracks here are all attractive, but saying this the second time around seems to take away from the fact somehow.
The strongest track of Songs for Elizabeth, My Home (Blue Eyes), faultless in its simplicity, is a great example of Seasick Steve's bluesy vibe, while opener 8ball is more electric-oriented, decorated with Dick Dale-esque 50s riffs. Walkin Man is Steve's signature love song that everyone should give a spin at least once.
The one new track here, Ready for Love, is a fitting addition to his catalogue of toe-tapping, unflowery tunes, fitting in nicely alongside songs with a similar gait, such as Its all Good or St Louis Slim.
Overall, this is a nice composition and could make a decent Valentines Day gift for lovers with a less materialistic demeanour, but hard-nosed fans shouldn't expect to find anything startlingly new here.
7/10