No Label Records artist: Steve Hill - Dear Illusion - New Release Review

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Dear Illusion, from Steve Hill and it's a great mix of blues, rock and pop. Opening with All About The Love, Steve Hill uses a bold blues hook with great vocals and  his own guitar riff, and the backing of Wayne Proctor on drums to st the stage, joined by Jacques Kuba Seguin on trumpet, Mario Allard on bari sax and Eduard Touchette on trombone, Felicien Bouchet on trumpet, Nacim Brahimi on tenor sax, and Gregory Julliard on trombone for some up tempo revival like reinforcement. Power opener. Rocker, Everything You Got has a great, snappy beat and Hill's vocals are super. With a bluesy riff on guitar, and some hot soloing to boot and punchy, understated horns by Sequin, Allard and Touchette, this track is a great radio track. Don't Let The Truth Get In The Way (Of A Good Story) is another great melody with a tight rhythm. What I love is the change up when Hill kicks his riffs into overdrive with slide and a heavy botto. Possibly my favorite track on the release. Funky, She Gives Lessons In Blues, is another of my favorite tracks on the release with it's lumbering bottom, snappy rhythm guitar and excellent vocal by Hill. With punctuation by Seguin, Allard and Touchette and scorching guitar by Hill, this track is tough to beat. Wrapping the release is ballad, Until The Next Time, with it's sweet melody and a strong melodic guitar solo from Hill over the warm work of Seguin, Allard and Touchette giving the release a soft closer. 

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No Label Records artist: Steve Hill - The One-Man Blues Rock Band - New release review

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, The One-Man Blues Rock Band, a new live album from Steve Hill and it's powerful. Opening with Rhythm All Over, a power rocker, Steve Hill wastes no time making you a believer. With an excellent rock voice, the terrific ability to accompany himself as well as any band and fluid slide riffs, this is an excellent opener. His lead guitar on Go On, make you actually sit back and listen. This guy's playing has such presence that it rivals Jimmy Page and Alvin Lee. We're talking strong phrasing and focused notes. With a solid bass line and strong melody, Hill has great energy.  Excellent! Never Is Such A Long Time oozes blues like it was born in the Mississippi hill country but with a firm grip on modern rock and guitar techniques and tight drum rhythm giving it not only an emotional power but also strong musical punch. Very nice!  Little Walter's Hate To See You Go is a great blues rocker with Hill just killing it on guitar. You hear the initial interpretation style of jack White but pushed to the limits and the energy of young Alvin Lee. Terrific! Still Got It Bad is so beefy with tone that this thing is ready to pop. Excellent! The release is wrapped with a super rendition of Hendrix's Voodoo Chile with dynamics and gripping, soaring guitar riffs.

This is a really strong release and one that should easily plant Hill atop the hill!!

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

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No Label Records artist: Steve Hill - Solo Recordings Volume 2 - New Release Review

I just received the newest release, Solo Recordings Volume 2, from Steve Hill and it's quite interesting. Opening with Still Got It Bad, Hill established a gritty blues sound that is lacking in most contemporary bands. Accompanying himself on guitar and drums, this raw sound is right on! Slim Chance has a rockier/pop sound and a more clever hook but it's the raw slide sound that does it for me on this track. Tough Luck is an acoustic, finger picked picked, folk style track with smooth vocals and harp. The Collector returns back to blues roots with raw electric slide and a jagged feel that compliments the melody quite well. Never Is Such A Long Time is one of my favorite tracks on the release with R&B kind of style yet maintaining the rawness of this "primitive" overall sound. The melody is really strong and Hill compliments his solid vocals with stinging guitar work on this track. Excellent! Little Walter's Hate To See You Go is really well done with a driving beat and call and response vocal/guitar work. Another really sweet track! Better is a straight up ballad sung over arpegiated chords and 3/4 time. A simple radio style track, maintaining the raw feel, the track has a very memorable melody and a cool slide guitar solo. Simple Things, another quiet ballad with a strong melody shows Hill's talent as a songwriter and the ease at which he blends his own vocals with interesting slide work. On Muddy Water's I Want You To Love Me, Hill cranks up the distortion a little and gets a rolling blues feel going. Keeping the "dirty" overall sound, this is a cool way to showcase a classic Morganfield track without being repetitive. Very nice. Go On is back to the simplest of the stripped down blues rock sounds, one that I find very attractive. With only guitar, drum and vocal this is a cool track that deserves notice. Wrapping the release is Long Road, an easy going acoustic ballad with clean vocals and nicely articulated finger picked guitar and simple rhythm. This release is a mixed bag with a common thread of good music and solid execution. I especially like the raw guitar blues found here... and sound that most closely resembles the original blues.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”