What does it sound like?:
Steve Hill, somewhat like @bricameron, is an extraordinary Canadian. He sings, plays guitar and harmonica, while his feet play kick drum, snare and hi-hats and uses a drumstick fused to the head of his guitar to smash cymbals and any other percussion within reach. All at the same time. He is the epitome of a one-man band.
He makes a glorious racket. Initially, the listener is dazzled by the technique. It takes a few listens to actually hear him. He performs a blues rock, not unlike The White Stripes but with a gruffer voice. It’s loud, it’s exciting, it’s quite the aural spectacle. His writing is pretty good, too. He plays mainly originals with a few covers thrown in. If you didn’t know already, you wouldn’t be able to tell which was which, quite a feat when you consider those covers were written by Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson.
In fact, the more you listen, the better he gets. There are three numbers where he plays an acoustic guitar, harmonica and one item of percussion only. The man can really play and play beautifully. He can also sing from the heart. Grateful Dead fans might be interested in his acoustic version of Going Down The Road Feeling Bad, which takes it back to its folk roots.
Steve Hill has been honing his act for twenty years. This is Volume Three of his solo recordings. His gimmick is incredibly impressive but I wonder if it disguises the real substance in his act. There is plenty here to prove he is more than capable. Maybe, he needs a live band or to play the instruments one at a time on his next album? Or, maybe, it’s the limitations he imposes on himself that spark his creative juices.
What does it all *mean*?
Steve Hill is quirky, different and an awesome entertainer.
Goes well with…
Best consumed live. He’s touring with Wishbone Ash, if you are interested.
Release Date:
Might suit people who like…
Blues Rock
Watch Steve do his thing.
Damned
Glad to see he just about steers clear of the Rich Hall line – “playing the guitar and harmonica at the same time is the sign of a genius, but as soon as you put some cymbals between your knees for accompaniment…”
Nope, off he goes straight over that line. One has to ask the question – a talented chap it seems but “why oh why”?
He might be a bit like Jack White, superb when it was just him, armed only with an axe, accompanied only by a ‘basic’ drummer, creating pyrotechnics but less good with a band.
In the old days he would have closed the first half at the Hackney Empire, just after Wilson Keppel and Betty ( the Crispy Ambulance of their day)
“the Crispy Ambulance of their day”! What a wag you are , Moose.
Golly! WK & B were an international phenomenon. Here they are in a Danish film.
Steve Hill sounds very enjoyable, Tigs. I suspect he is sensational live.