CD Review – Steve Mason (Former Beta Band frontman!)
Boys Outside
Domino Records
I first heard The Beta Band on the movie High Fidelity when John Cusack’s character plays it at over the speakers at his record shop. It was a lazy groove that you couldn’t help but fall for. On the latest solo album from Steve Mason, the former frontman of the group, he takes that undeniable groove and runs with it.
The press release says that the album was written entirely on acoustic guitar and “many of the finished tracks [were] stripped back to reveal his undoubted songwriting talent. Well, that’s sort of true. The album does reveal an artist that can write a song that’s better than most, but it’s a whole lot more electronic than the press release makes it out to be. “Understand My Heart” is a danceable track while the head-bobbin’ electro-pop that John Cusack’s character played gets revived on “Am I Just a Man” and “The Letter”
Steve Mason has his die-hard core of fans. For them, this is perfect. For anybody else who enjoys the singer/songwriter genre, Boys Outside is entirely refreshing and well worth the listen.
