© Steve Soden 2016
Steve Soden
Poet & Musician
GIGS & NEWS
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.
Performances & Events
Bohemian Voices - The Vault, Worcester Arts Workshop.
Thursday November 7, from 8.30pm 2019 and then the first
Thursday of each month.
A spokesman said: "Bohemian Voices was devised by Steve
Soden and ran in London for a number of years, bringing a
unique mix of music, comedy and poetry which he promoted
and compered - his compering was described by Time-Out as
Richard E. Grant on acid."
Two hours of live music, comedy and poetry with the Bohemian
Voices event.