Surrounded by solid musicians, including a renowned English drummer, Steve Hill fuses blues and rock with a driving aplomb on Dear Illusion.
Posted at 2:30 p.m.
The image is not everything, but in the case of Steve Hill, it is revealing. The guy we see in a jacket and with a tassel fifties early in his career (on the cover of Call It What You Will) has long since ditched its clean clothes for a more rock look, a transformation that would only be superficial if it didn’t make musical sense. However, it is the case: Steve Hill found himself in a more direct approach and a sound where the blues stands up to rock.
This is especially true on Dear Illusion where, framed by a horn section called The Devil Horns, and supported by drummer Wayne Proctor (famous in England), he draws on the roots of rock, which he skilfully mixes with blues, a touch of soul and, moments, to a gospel spirit (All About the Love). We understand the guitarist to have let the pandemic pass before finally releasing this tonic disc, carried by more than solid grooves, which will take even more chest on stage.
Steve Hill isn’t reinventing anything here in terms of style or sound. The whole thing even exudes a feeling of familiarity. Which takes nothing away from him. The guitarist demonstrates a perfect — and felt — mastery of the languages he uses. And he shows how much he has gained in depth as a performer: doctored or not, his singing is powerful, frank and inhabited. Dear Illusion is the work of a real guy, bringing the best out of the 25 years that have passed since his first record.
blues/rock
Dear Illusion
Steve Hill
No Label Records