Steve Conway
It’s About Time
self-released
Steve Conway is the best thing to come out of Colorado since…since…who else is from Colorado? John Denver? Anyway, Conway has the chance to put his state on the map with this deliriously solid record. Going for a balancing act between country and acoustic pop, Conway is a smooth operator, able to crisscross the genres with no jarring transitions.
You can almost smell the fresh mountain air in this album’s relaxing grooves and laidback sentiments, although it was actually recorded in Nashville. But don’t let that fact turn you off, country purists. It’s About Time doesn’t have the dreaded touch of modern-day Nashville. There’re no artificial sweeteners here or songs that were mass-manufactured for soccer moms in cowboy hats.
For all of the record’s obvious country inspirations, Conway ironically doesn’t sound country. Neither his voice nor his vocal style is rooted in country music; instead, Conway is a classic pop singer, closer to mellow ’70s icons such as James Taylor and, yes, John Denver. There’s clarity to his singing that makes nearly everything coming out today sound dirty.
Conway is at his best when there’s a longing in his soul, which is most of the time on this LP. Love songs such as “Right Before My Eyes” and “Think About Me Once In A While” are instant faves, sounding as if they were from a greatest hits compilation even though nobody has heard these tracks before.
Steve Conway: http://www.steveconwaymusic.com
