Steve Shaw - Honeysuckle Jump

by Malcolm Carter

published: 27 / 5 / 2017

Label: Steve Shaw Music
Format: CD

intelligent and countrified pop on latest album from under-rated Missouri-based singer-songwriter Steve Shaw

Review

When a version of Steve Earle’s ‘Galway Girl’ is the least interesting song on an album then it’s pretty obvious that the album is of a high standard. St. Louis singer-songwriter Steve Shaw stays quite faithful to the original and it’s a fine reading, but given that Shaw’s originals over the course of his two albums that are familiar round these parts match the work of those he admires one can only assume that Shaw has such an affection for the song that he sacrificed one of his own to show his admiration. And for those living in the UK at least another song titled ‘Galway Girl’ may just, at this moment in time, be testing our patience… Steve Shaw is the reason why magazines and sites such as this exist. How a musician with the talent to write such heart-melting melodies matches them with universal lyrics which connect with just about everyone yet still remains largely unknown is an injustice when so much time, space and money is spent on those far less talented. Shaw produces an instantly likable brand of intelligent pop music; with Brian Elder’s fiddle and mandolin (which played a major part in shaping an earlier Shaw album) again taking a major part in the sound there’s a country tinge to these songs while they don’t sound like traditional country at all. It’s a mix of Shaw’s lyrical skills, his knack of pulling hooks seemingly out of the air and his mellow yet sincere vocal style that wins the listener over. It’s immediately noticeable that there are no drums on this latest set of songs; there are percussion sounds (mostly derived from unconventional ‘instruments’) that colour some of the songs but this absence of drums was an inspired idea. Shaw’s mellow, at times fragile, vocal delivery is actually more suited to an arrangement that for the main part is acoustically based. Shaw’s vocals are a rare instrument; despite their mellowness they hardly lack emotion which leads on to another of Shaw’s attractions - his honesty. While many of his songs deal with the usual matters of the heart his lyrics reach those places that many fail to touch. ‘Today’ starts as a jaunty, postman-whistling tune before lyrics like “Another lonely valentine/Eating dinner over the kitchen sink is something I don’t mind” belie the carefree appeal of the tune. Later in the same song Shaw statse, “The things I lost are now sublime/My edge dulled with waters past but now I see the sign”; given that it’s impossible to ignore that melody or be uplifted by it, Shaw’s ability to inject positivity into his songs be it through the music or lyrically (and more often than not by both) is to be admired. The little touches that Shaw and producer Patrick Crecelius inject throughout the album are brilliant; on this track the background vocals from Laura Crosby are particularly effective. There are songs that show that Shaw is capable of laying his demons bare, where there’s no crack for the light to shine through even then though his melodies are uplifting. The subtle use of female backing vocals (this time from Susan Crecelius) also lift the song but with lyrics like “ I guess I did it again/I guess the whiskey’s my only friend/How could she be so cruel?” there’s little doubt as to Shaw’s state of mind. It takes a man of some talent to sing lines such as “I used to know this knot/I tied it once or twice and then I forgot…but when she kicked the chair away I knew the devil was born” and not leave the listener depressed but actually wanting to sing along. Shaw may well be “just another year older and another step closer to down”, an emotion that will strike a chord with so many but he’s obviously come through and with songs as well crafted as this will help many others do the same. ‘Scared’, despite carrying all the hallmarks of a country weepie (its opening lines are “Just a cowboy song is all I hear/When you tell me that you’re scared”) is so much more than a straightforward country tune,. It has all the makings of classic country with Shaw’s heartfelt vocals and Elder’s weeping fiddle but it’s given Shaw’s usual twist which pulls it out of the mainstream. If there’s one criticism to be made of ‘Honeysuckle Jump’ it’s that there are only ten original Shaw songs here. The first introduction to this talent for many was ‘Lay This Burden Down’ which featured twenty original songs, the follow-up ‘Lonedell’ had fourteen and, while ten Shaw originals cover more ground and show more emotion than many artists are capable of over ten full albums, the end result is that you’re left wanting more. It is no bad thing but, given that Shaw tends to leave major gaps between albums, it would be nice if he were able to release his music more regularly. Shaw has been making and releasing music now for more than two decades yet still hasn’t received the acclaim he rightly deserves; there’s whispers that he may be recording a new album this year and we can only hope that album materialises. But for now ‘Honeysuckle Jump’ proves once again that Steve Shaw is another of those talented musicians whose work unaccountably seems to reach an unfairly limited audience when there is so much to experience in his music. Shaw has the songwriting abilities, a distinctive voice it’s impossible not to be touched by and surrounds himself with musicians and producers who totally understand his work and bring out the best in his songs. He deserves our time and attention.