Steve Dawson: guitarist, composer, sought after musical enabler and sideman. Since moving to Nashville in 2013, he’s produced albums for a slew of roots artists, toured and recorded, and his ‘Music Makers and Soul Shakers’ podcast has well over a hundred episodes. This is Steve’s first collection of songs since Solid States and Loose Ends came out in 2016. In lockdown he worked on a large volume of music that would never have seen the light of day otherwise. Using remote recording techniques, producing and playing on tracks for many other artists, he’s got enough solo material for three distinct albums; this is the first. It reflects Dawson’s mastery of songcraft. Nine original cuts mostly co-written with Alberta songwriter Matt Patershuk and a soulful cover of The Faces’ ‘Ooh La La’. Subtle vocals and super arrangements abound, such as gentle guitar, pedal steel and a virtual string quartet on the title track. His guests contribute stellar performances: Jeremy Holmes (bass) Gary Craig and Jay Bellerose (drums) Kevin McKendree and Chris Gestrin (piano, organ, keys). John Prine alumnus Fats Kaplin adds sweet fiddle to ‘King Benny Had His Shit Together’ with swooping horns on ‘Dimes’ from Malcolm Aiken, Jerry Cook and Dominic Conway a highlight. Able.
Black Hen Music
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