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Tuesday 11 March 2014

Steve Conte - NYC Album

It’s a good day. The sun is out, the sky is blue and I have no work to go to, but best of all is that Steve Conte’s ‘NYC Album’ finally gets released to the public.

After the success of the award winning Michael Monroe album - that Steve basically wrote all the songs for - and the plaudits he has received for his NYC album through its pledge campaign availability, it is now time for everyone else to get to grips with this release.

As expected there’s no slacking on it.
Like a snake oil salesman he is claiming he can provide you with whatever you need or want, and then he’s actually delivering on the promise.
So roll up, roll up.
Steve has everything you dreamed of in his little bag of trick and if you want it then it’s yours for the asking.
Fans of his work with the NY Dolls/Michael Monroe will immerse themselves in this and consider it another excellent addition to their collection of dirty glam punk rock and roll albums, but equally fans of the material that Steve did with his brother John in The Contes/Company of Wolves/Crown Jewels will be comfortably embraced with what is a continuation of some of the musical avenues that they explored to.
In short what this sounds like is a best of album, but of original material.
It’s an album that within it you can hear Steve hit points of his whole career, and then pull it all together in a fresh style.

The swagger of the Stones is there, the country slide and honky tonk piano is present, the boy from NYC with a wailing sax accompanying makes an appearance, and of course the wandering troubadour who plays his music in a different town every night makes his presence felt to.

There’s material on this that would be happy strutting about on a large stage in front of a festival crowd that reaches back as far as the eye can see, and then there are songs that would enjoy reaching out in an intimate club and grabbing the audience with a warm and comforting hug.

With a star studded line up of peers adding backing vocals, bass runs, guitar licks and more you would be forgiven for thinking that Steve had stolen the members list for the rock and roll hall of fame and got everyone inducted to play on it, but then when you consider that this is the circles he moves in, then you can begin to appreciate that it is long overdue that he has his own day in the spotlight.

If anyone ever doubted that Steve was/is a consummate musician, songwriter and vocalist then the proof is here to banish the ludicrous thought from your head.

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