Review: Steve Louw – Between Time
BFD/The Orchard (September 6th, 2024)
Reviewer: Chris O’Connor
So, I will be honest, the name Steve Louw is new to me, so I really wasn’t sure what to think or expect. Having done a little background research, I was amazed to discover that Steve has an extensive back catalogue, and it is all genuinely high-quality stuff. If you are a fan of Bruce Springsteen, Little Steven, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones (at their most relaxed, Dire Straits, The Grateful Dead, or even Led Zeppelin (at their most Folk) then this album might just be for you.
Steve is South African born, but his songs seem to be cut from the American heartland, they are all eminently relatable – lyrics that speak to the human experience and to what drives us all emotionally, he is a true storyteller and troubadour. Joining Steve on his musical odyssey are guitarists Rob McNelley and Doug Lancio, keyboardist Kevin McKendree, bass guitarist Alison Prestwood, and drummer/percussionist Greg Morrow. The album also features guest appearances by Lachy Doley, Randy Flowers, and Joe Bonamassa.
In places, Steve’s music almost veers into Southern Rock territory (never a bad thing by the way), so this makes it instantly appealing for me. The album is lusciously produced by Kevin Shirley – and sounds a million dollars sonically as a result. ‘Between Time’ is an album of shifting moods and rhythms, so despite the fact the twenty songs are spread over two discs, you are never bored – or are remotely tempted to skip any.
There is an elegant earthiness to Steve’s music, an undeniable passion and earnestness, we have all been where Steve is (emotionally speaking), so you find the music (and lyrics particularly) resonating with you. In places, ‘Between Time’ strongly reminds me of Jerry Lee Lewis’s 1972 ‘London Sessions’ magnum opus, and that is a very big compliment indeed. I think it’s the way the album ebbs and flows, it just works beautifully. Funnily enough, from the same era, it brings to mind the Rolling Stones masterful ‘Exile On Main Street’ album – and I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to remember that.
Sometimes the album is a rocker, sometimes its lazy blues, what I find myself picturing and feeling is a warm/hot summer on a careworn American highway, with deserts on either side – am I making sense here? Well, I know what I mean anyway. What I’m trying to say is that is the imagery ‘Between Time’ evokes. It is a sprawling land and soundscape, beautiful and genuinely enthralling. I genuinely cannot recommend this masterpiece of an album to you highly enough – in every way that counts, it absolutely qualifies as a Magnum Opus, and I absolutely love it. Steve Louw – you Sir, are a legend!
Tracklist:
CD1:
Alibi
We Had It All
Beggar Tonight
Giant’s Walk The Land
Killers
StreetJanes Dream #3
Do Me Good
Flowers From The Graves Of Doves
Don’t Leave A Heart Alone
Time To Get On
CD2:
Get Real Gone
The Way Your Heart Beats
Take Me For A Ride
Streets Of Rain
Cruel Hand Of Fate
Free To Fly
You ‘n Me Tonight
Cold Cold Rails
Ever Be Undone
Highway To The Sun
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