Steve Soden|Welcome to the Asylum Steve Soden is an intriguing artist who I first encountered at Worcester Arts Workshop’s Café Bliss as part of a Lazy Sunday event. He performed a number of spoken word pieces taken from a recently published book of poetry entitled To Hell & Back, before donning an acoustic guitar and belting out an infectious rendition of Buddy Holly's Maybe Baby, and an original that could have been titled Evil Woman. The spoken word pieces compelled as Steve engaged the audience with a strong presence, delivering odes to love, heartbreak and remembrance. I remember making a mental note to track down a copy of his book for further investigation - still pending on the wish list! When Welcome To The Asylum, Soden's third album, was passed my way, intrigue soon got the better of me and I was interested to hear whether Steve's impressive, thought provoking poetry would translate to disc. Upon hitting play for the first time, a retro 50's doo-wop fills the air, glorious, wordless harmonies and a steady shuffle joined by a lick of sax and a twang of guitar. Soden delivers a touching croon, once more summoning images of 50's diners, high school dances and Buddy Holly; a timeless, addictive lesson in nostalgia that's nigh on impossible to ignore. From such a striking opening number, Steve fast forwards a decade or so to deliver When The Train Draws In. A blustery blues number opened with a blast of harmonica before boisterous riffs and sterling piano joins forces to create a solid foundation for a captivating, Jim Morrison like lead. Soden, along with a cast of over twenty musicians, continues to switch styles. Stay With Me sees a violin join the mix as the band create a psychedelic tinged slice of folk. How Love Hurts Sometimes harks back to a time when the crooner was king, whilst Darren Mather adds a touch of Dylan style harmonica. Lost My Way is another brilliant slab of doo-wop with those aforementioned wordless harmonies at the foreground, whilst Waiting On A Dream is a darkening, brooding folk-noir number with Soden's bruised lead. Whether Soden is heading down a country path, delivering an aching blues lament, or delivering a slice of rustic roots, his deep crooning vocal always engages, complements, and thrills in equal measure. The album also comes with an accompanying DVD video of the title track with Steve Soden showcasing his acting chops in a suitably sinister short directed by Mark-Anthony Games (Human Voice) that's almost worth the price of admission alone. Welcome To The Asylum is an inventive and ever engaging disc full of knowing hooks and clever twists. A creative album crafted by the fertile penmanship of Steve Soden and brought to life by a talented cast of conspirators that together delve into a bygone era to create something that sounds uniquely fresh in a world of sound-a-likes.

REVIEWS

This Review of the new album was published in the March 2017 edition of The Slap Magazine.

Review by John Gareth Owen

Enjoyed the album enormously. Beautifully produced. Never bored. Waiting on a Dream was the stand out track but all the songs are seductive. In my humble opinion it deserves some attention.