THOSE TEARS I’VE CRIED by Steve Scott Country is an intriguing
release which succeeds in both striving to conform and challenge convention. With a very slick presentation and set up, Steve seems to have a
firm idea of where he is heading .The radio friendly vibes
which Steve does not hide as an intended influence are prevalent across the
record and the themes will resonate with many. You get the impression that
Steve is a highly focussed and principled person and there is sufficient merit
in the record to buy into what he is trying to achieve.
The slogans and hyperbole liberally frequent his online
profile and they are not too far from the mark in suggesting that Steve Scott
is attempting to marry the ideals of country music with the more urban sounds
of Detroit Michigan. Certainly many bases are covered throughout the eleven
tracks which make up Steve’s sophomore solo release, One concern is whether there is enough country in it for that genre or being suitably progressive
enough for the wider Americana movement.
Perhaps the best way to enjoy the record is to lap up its multifaceted
approach to music making and the styles it touches regardless of the purist response.
The hat image and country addition to his name will add weight to recognition in that genre but it is much better focusing on
the excellent sentimental ballad ‘Halo’
which is a pure country home style song and is my favourite track on the album.
The title track ‘Those Tears I’ve Cried’
follows in a similar vein with a steel-driven mellow sound in contrast to the
plethora of pop/rock which decorates a fair proportion of the album including the
aesthetically pleasing opener ‘I Think
About You’. Any link to the sounds of Detroit will inevitably lead to soul
and there are a couple of tracks leaning in this direction. ‘Thoughts About Fire’ and ‘Geronimo’ fall into this category with
the latter fuelled by some spicy soulful keyboard solos.
There is a nagging urge on two of the tracks namely ‘Lorra’ and ‘Hide and Seek’ to conjure up thoughts of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
in Steve’s vocal style and both songs have a rock feel to their structure
although the latter features a dose of mandolin. The most diverse track on the
album is when it veers thousands of miles south to the Mexican border with ‘Teqilarama’
where the contribution of trumpet adds considerably to the Tex-Mex sound.
All eleven tracks have emanated from the pen of Steve,with two of
the compositions likely to have more appeal in the home market. ‘She’s Made In The USA’ is one such track and definitely resides in the pop/rock category while the emotional ‘Have You Ever
Known A Soldier’ is the centrepiece of Steve’s cause of raising
awareness for a captured US soldier and his wider military appreciation.