Combine a menu of Blues, Folk, Soul, R&B, and Rock with a gravel-ly voice that evokes a bit of Cat Stevens-esque edge and you have the latest release “Grooving On the Inside” by Steve Carlson. And grooving is what you will be doing, inside and out. So, let’s dip into a bit o’ bio so when Carlson ends up high on the charts, which is distinctly possible if “Groovin On the Inside” is a calling card for his future work… and you can say you knew him when…
Steve Carlson hails from Southern Cali, and in addition to his solo work he is also “adrenylizing” the L.A. club scene with his other projects, KANE and The Steve Carlson Band. So if you’re feeling greedy, I’ll let you know word on the street is Carlson is also working on new albums for both of his other projects as well.
But let’s get back to “Groovin’ On the Inside”… Carlson has managed to do what so many artists miss at target practice, he has assumed the correct stance, the music is perpendicular to the target and the shooting line is his clear and unfettered by tight vocals that have real depth and further prove that Carlson isn’t shooting with a sight but from his instincts instead. And his instincts are spot on.
Proof in the mix? Anyone who can cover “She’s Not There” in a way that makes you forget about the Zombies original, deserves your attention. Other notable tracks include “Now That My Love is Gone”, “Wasted Jamie” and ‘The One I Want” however the entirety of “Grooving on The Inside” is sans any filler or packing material.
Last of all, Carlson is a radar watcher musician with depth that should ensure that there is much more groove to explore. Let him guide you, he knows the way.
4.5 Stars
