Lew Card Follow Me Down, Randy Steele Songs From The Suck
Lew Card
Follow Me Down
(lewcard.com)
Chattanooga homegrown artist Lew Card is a powerful and rocksteady musician. His outlaw country music omits a no holds barred, one of a kind sound. Where many artists stay in the confines of genre specific areas of music, Lew does his own thing, and there is nothing cookie cutter, or bland about it. In an inspiring display of essentially genre creation, Follow Me Down, which was his 2016 album release, shows off his relentless talent as a musician.
Follow Me Down holds a sound that is similar to the idiosyncratic music that Quentin Tarantino utilizes in his movies. Regardless of what movie he created, the particular music implemented into the final copy was always unusual, yet, mind-blowing good. Reminiscent to Mr. Tarantino, regardless of what music Lew Card is creating, it is going to be sui generis, and wondrous. For the record this music would fit perfectly in any Tarantino film.
The songs independently hold heavy hitting power, but together, they combine to make a knockout punch. No two songs on the album are alike, and none of the songs on the album sound like anything else.
While all of the songs on the album are notable, “Walkin' Shoes Blues” starts the album off with style. “Southern Railroad Blues” holds true to their outlaw country sound, and it is a musical tour de force. “Paradise” has an island twang and it is a cool breeze of a track. “Saturday Night Gal” and “Always Funny” have a funky rock and roll blend that are full of soul. “Go Back Home” is seemingly aimed to hit the listener in the heart, and it delivers.
We are fortunate to be able to call Lew Card a Chattanoogan, his diversity, versatility, and musical creation skills bring yet another dynamic to this thriving music scene. Follow Me Down delivers authentic, unadulterated, unchained music from Chattanooga with love.
Randy Steele
Songs From The Suck
(randysteelemusic.com)
There is something captivating about the sound of the local Americana/Bluegrass musician Randy Steele’s debut album. Songs From The Suck is a diverse album that unleashes thought invoking powers, and incites dance parties equally. The blend of powerful instruments, vocals, and lyrics combine to produce a crisp musical masterpiece that will rock any hootenanny or hoedown.
A spellbinding banjo sound sets the tone on most of the songs, and the album demonstrates a fine display of bluegrass music; something about it feels alive, like it has a heartbeat, perhaps a soul of its own. The songs have a certain perspective that people can instantly connect with, it is the music of southern roots with a modern day twist.
After songwriting and playing the 5-string banjo for Chattanooga’s buoyant Bluegrass/Americana music group Slim Pickins over the last few years, Randy Steele branched off on a solo project, and Songs From The Suck is the end product. This album derives from an artist unleashing his heart, and pouring every ounce of it into his masterpiece.
While the album is one of the few in existence that is spirituous from start to finish, a few of the songs really stand out. “Eliza Mae” is a love story that has a bitter sweet story behind it. The emotion involved mixed with clever wording and a catchy tune set the track on fire. “Hideaway” is a universally beautiful song that holds significant emotional and poetic weight; it is super groovy. “Angels With Halos” dives right into the art of storytelling, while instrumental “Shove the Pigs Foot a Little Closer to the Fire” lets the instruments do the talking.
Steele does a fantastic job of representing music on his album Songs From The Suck, his musical abilities shine as bright as the sun in this authentic display.