It is tempting to think of a one-man band as a somewhat staid affair. An acoustic guitar, an accordion… perhaps some basic percussion. That’s not to say that the results are necessarily bad. Anyone who has listened to the various solo recordings Neil Young has released over the years will know that, when the music is good, the method of delivery comes secondary. Nonetheless, the term one-man band, as opposed to solo, inevitably suggests something different and, in Steve Hill’s case, that is certainly true.
An artist who has received considerable acclaim for his recorded work (including multiple Juno awards and Maple Blues awards) Steve Hill has taken the idea of a one-man band to wild and unpredictable new heights. With a specially modified drum kit, a guitar stick mounted on his head-stock, a custom pick-up that feeds into an octave pedal and a bass cab, not to mention a whole ton of attitude, Steve has redefined what it is possible for one musician to do live on stage and this live album, ‘the one-man blues rock band’ demonstrates that no studio trickery is needed to make a Steve Hill show fly. Listen once and you’ll be hooked by the sheer joy exhibited in the music. Listen again and you’ll swear there’s an army of musicians on stage. It’s amazing what Steve has managed to pack into his arsenal of tricks and the only mild disappointment is that there’s no DVD to accompany this astonishing CD. Oh well – one more reason to go and check out Steve when he heads out on tour!
The set opens with the blistering ‘Rhythm all over’ (from the recent ‘Volume 3’), a foot-stomping, guitar mangling track with a mean groove and an infectious melody. To be honest, if you’re not hooked from the first moment you hear this sublimely brilliant song, you never will be, but Steve’s on a charm offensive and he follows it up with the cracking ‘go on’. Hailing from ‘volume 2’ ‘the collector’ is a dry and dusty blues nailed by a solid beat and characterised by a vocal that edges into Nick Cave-style manic preacher territory. Stock up on gulpin’ whiskey – it’s going to be that kind of night. Filtering his guitar through a wall of reverb, Steve heads into the driven ‘damned’, a track with a ZZ Top vibe, before relaxing the pace for the shimmering ‘tough luck’, a track which adds harmonica and just the lightest touch of the kick, evoking images of a wooden porch at sundown. With the audience eating out of the palm of his hand (if the cheers and whoops are anything to go by), Steve locks in the taut, soulful groove of ‘never is such a long time’ before unleashing the Hendrix-esque might of ‘hate to see you go’, a show-stopping moment of heroic guitar work and punishing rhythms.
A rather more whimsical number, the light-touch of ‘Emily’ helps to introduce a different side of Steve’s oeuvre and although that gritty tone remains, the track offers a touch of sensitivity amidst the hard-rock-infused bluster. Steve takes things even further down, as the lights dim, and the evocative wail of the harmonica is added to the mix for ‘nothing new’, a track that benefits from a subtle, sparse arrangement that recalls the blues in its purest form. Keeping things gentle, ‘out of phase’ is one of the album’s loveliest moments, as Steve’s voice seems to age over the gentle acoustic backdrop he weaves for himself. It’s a gorgeous moment and a track that shimmers with poignant regret. The dusty riffing of ‘still got it bad’ sees the power creep back in as Steve evokes a great expanse of desert, the riffs conjuring a heat haze that obscures the stage as the piece gathers pace and intensity. A ‘volume 1’ highlight, the epic ‘ballad of Johnny Wabo’ loses none of its power in the live environment, building step by step to a blues apocalypse finale. As befitting its title, ‘Dangerous’ has a grungy, hard-rock vibe that sets your feet tapping and your head rocking whether you will or no before the blazing finale of ‘Voodoo Child (slight return)’ sets the stage alight and burns the venue to the ground, leaving only the soot-stained faces of the audience gawping in stunned awe at the dextrous display they’ve just witnessed. The perfect, possibly the only, finale, Steve’s incendiary take on Hendrix knocks them dead every time and with good reason.
Put simply, ‘One-man blues rock band’ has it all. In truth, the overall arrangements of the songs vary little from the studio recordings as the manner of delivery is virtually identical. However, Steve clearly feeds off the energy of the crowd and such is their enthusiasm for a set that is, to all intents and purposes, an absolute best of…, the energy levels are white hot from start to finish. it’s also an opportunity to get hold of Steve’s unhinged rendition of ‘Voodoo child (slight return)’, a live favourite over the years and a much-coveted recording. Given that Steve’s albums are more or less cut live in the studio, it’s arguable that, if you’re just starting out with Steve, this In Concert set is the perfect introduction and, from there, you can work your way back, exploring the deeper cuts his albums offer. If you’re a long-time fan, then this should already be on your essential list. The only slight complaint is that certain between-song cuts serve to slightly blunt the otherwise razor-sharp edge of the night’s delivery, and whilst this is a small gripe, it is a shame that the edits could not have been more professionally handled. This aside, ‘the one-man blues rock band’ is an essential addition to Steve Hill’s canon. 9
