Veteran bluesman, Seasick Steve, is a late bloomer to say the very least. Now in his early 70’s, Steve has been plugging away in various American blues scenes since the 1960’s, however it wasn’t until as recently as 2004, with his debut album Cheap, that he began to reap the rewards of his hard-luck travels and artistic endeavours. Sophomore album Dog House Music (2006) raised his profile significantly, particularly in the UK, and ever since he has been releasing consistently well received albums of rough old-school blues. Although this is my first extended experience with Seasick Steve’s grizzled blues, from the bits and pieces I’ve heard from previous albums, Hubcap Music, his 6th full-length release, largely follows his tried and true formula established on prior efforts.
And despite some inconsistent song-writing, listeners inclined towards his world weary lyrical tales and gruff, old-school blues will find plenty of likable qualities on offer. The upbeat stomp of opener ‘Down on the Farm’ might sound a bit too hillbilly for some tastes but it does rock pretty hard, bouncing along with a catchy swing. The smouldering slow burn of the excellent ‘The Way I Do’ shines brightly in a melancholic kind of way, while the gentle weariness and downbeat country twang of ‘Purple Shadows’ features some wonderful harmonising with Nashville-based singer Elizabeth Cook. It’s a fine example of the country influence that permeates the album, but mostly loses my interest on a couple of the other prominent country-ish tracks.
Seasick Steve handles the production duties with aplomb, keeping the rough toned authentic grittiness of his sound intact, whilst maintaining a clean and punchy sonic palette. The tone for his array of homemade guitars (the album title is derived from his guitar created from two hubcaps) sounds particularly tasty. Aside from his accomplished backing band, Seasick Steve is joined by a couple of high profile guests, such as Jack White, who contributes guitar on ‘The Way I Do’, and none other than Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones.
Overall, I find it difficult to pinpoint too many real issues with Hubcap Music. It’s a largely enjoyable blues-rock album with enough song-writing variation to keep things from becoming too one-dimensional, and it’s packed with loads of heart and soul. Yet aside from a handful of exceptions, the songs just don’t grab me like I’d hoped they would. When he steers his music towards the rough, down-trodden blues of ‘Self-sufficient Man’, ‘The Way I Do’ and the more rollicking ‘Freedom Road’ the album fares much better. Elsewhere there’s a bit too much meandering and a lack of truly memorable hooks to elevate this album beyond the merely solid and mildly enjoyable.
Fiction Records
6.5/10
Reviewer: Luke Saunders