Friday, February 26, 2021

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: STEVE HILL - DESERT TRIP


He may be from Montreal, but the desert fits Steve Hill just fine too. Inspired by a trip to Coachella in California, the ace guitarist went off-road in some iconic spots such as Death Valley and Yosemite, toured around and came up with a bunch of tunes that captured the vibe. It was a side trip musically as well, with Hill expanding his blues-rock into some wild western and alt-country too.

Songs "Rain" and "Judgement Day" have the feel of desperado movies, open skies and danger, with moody tones and lots of atmosphere. "Cold Heart" starts out as an acoustic confessional, and then blossoms into an alt-rocker when he hits the chorus. Renegades and loners appear, and that gives Hill a good opportunity to wow us with fast acoustic licks, like on the bluesy "Gotta Be Strong." In these shut-in days, this album feels like freedom.

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