It is important to note the full artist credit for this release. Texas born, Shreveport, Louisiana based Steve Howell – though he lived in Haverfordwest in south Wales for three and a half years in the 70s (I couldn’t resist that!) - has a fine reputation as an acoustic blues artist, the programme consists mainly of vintage acoustic blues, and the label name might also convince the unwary that here we have a collection of acoustic blues recreations – but no! What we actually get is a small combo set of mostly not quite straight blues or folk numbers, though there is material originating from Jesse “Baby Face” Thomas, Bukka White, Charley Patton, Reverend Gary Davis and Noah Lewis with Gus Cannon’s Jug Stompers, plus some more modern songs.
Steve has arranged these numbers for a four–piece group, with Steve on relaxed and mature vocals and electric and acoustic guitars, Chris Michaels very individual on electric guitar, Jason Weinhamer bass and drummer Dave Hoffpauir. They’re not quite a blues band as such, as Steve keeps elements of the originals but makes them sound a little like UK beat group outings, a rockabilly band, folk-rockers, even The Byrds in one or two places. Given too that a couple of songs are associated with The Grateful Dead – Noah Lewis’s ‘Viola Lee Blues’ and ‘Me & My Uncle’ by John Phillips (of The Mamas & The Papas) – it comes as no surprise either that psychedelia raises its (Dead)head in a couple of places; so maybe the past this album has come out of is the 60s rather than the 20s. Further support for this idea comes with the final track, a cover of Manfred Mann’s 1966 hit ‘Pretty Flamingo’, taken a little slower than the hit version and more effective for that.
The packaging for the CD also deserves a mention too, containing Steve’s very informative comments on each song. To sum up, an intriguing release – Steve plays blues and roots music his own way, and isn’t that the way it is supposed to be?
Norman Darwen