Steve Turner - Searching For Melody

  by Geraint Jones

published: 12 / 7 / 2003

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The sticker attached to ‘Searching For Melody’ proclaims it as the “debut solo album from Mudhoney guitarist”, which in itself is an incontrovertible fact. Further inspection however reveals additional assistance from Mudhoney’s Dan Peters and Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard, the involvement of whom would most likely have people expecting to hear something entirely different than what is actually on offer here. Under no circumstances approach this album expecting Steve Turner’s usual visceral, cauterizing guitar riffs or anything remotely grunge-like at all for that matter. Steve Turner has most definitely left his Superfuzz Big Muffs in mothballs for his debut as have his collaborators and elected for a mostly stripped down selection of bluesy shuffles and Dylanesque folk musings. Admittedly ‘Searching For Melody’ might not be exactly groundbreaking, but Turner’s loose, spontaneous approach - the album often sounding like it was recorded in a single afternoon - has an undeniably appealing ramshackle quality about it. In truth Turner, hasn’t entirely denied his roots - opener ‘The Idiot Blues’ has some Farfisa-like organ fills that hark back to Mudhoney’s 60's precursors and several of the songs are peppered with expletives - on ‘Living Through The Mistakes’ for example - all used appropriately rather than for mere shock value , but underlining Turner’s more raucous and uncompromising heritage. ‘Searching For Melody’ isn’t a classic by any means, although there’s a lot more to the album than might initially be apparent. Whether Steve Turner will deign to unfurl more of his muse, having waited until his late thirties to record his debut, remains to be seen, but I’ve an idea that if there is any more to come from him that it will be worth hearing.

Track Listing:-

1 The Idiot Blues
2 Living Through The Mistakes
3 Searching For Melody
4 I Want You In My Arms
5 Smart Operator
6 Not Only You
7 Sometimes I'm Wrong
8 Nothing But The Blues
9 You My Girl
10 I'm 37
11 Instrumental
12 New Years Day
13 Take Care
14 Last Call

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