Artist: Newman
Label: AOR Heaven Records
Release: 2011
Runtime: 55:22
Rating: 3/5
Steve Newman is a seasoned British multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer, songwriter and vocalist. He’s been a fixture on the rock map for years and has put out a whole string of albums, yet he and his band only really got noticed recently, with the release of “Art Of Balance”. That record gave him a more serious breakthrough on the scene and carried him through a run of shows, all the way to the prestigious Firefest in the UK last year. On that occasion, Newman grew into a proper band.
Steve Newman is a workaholic who never stops creating. This past April, under the project name Big Life, he put out a self-titled album alongside the excellent and criminally forgotten former Praying Mantis vocalist Mark Thompson Smith. That album was something of a cross-section of the typical Newman “melodic rock” arrangement, given a special stamp by Mark Thompson Smith’s superb vocal approach. The wonderfully lucky pairing of the two musicians resulted in a seriously bold release, and let’s hope it gets a proper studio follow-up one day – RockLine review HERE.
For the new studio album, Steve Newman disbanded the group once again. He played all the arrangements himself, as well as most of the instruments apart from the drums, and only on If He Loves You did he hand the guitar solo over to his colleague Shaun Bessant, probably as a reward for his past service as Newman’s live guitarist. The result is an album that hits very much like the one we already got on the previous record “Art Of Balance”, and “Under Southern Skies” really doesn’t offer anything new or unheard from this prominent British musician.
It’s nice to see, based on all of the above, that Steve Newman is a hugely confident musician who knows the best work only happens when he has absolute control over everything. And that’s exactly where the rub lies, in a kind of “hermetic” closedness, or to put it bluntly: the album lacks fresh ideas and that grab-you-on-the-first-spin punch, and in a few spots Steve is basically replicating the previous album. You can also feel, despite the proven production, that there’s a “one man band” behind the content. The songs lack liveliness and that organic sonic rawness that teamwork in a band can embody much more easily and pour onto the studio tape. This “distortion” shows up most of all when we turn to the low end on the album. Steve didn’t give it much attention. The bass lines are simple and “chopped-off” in tone, with no dynamic shine. As a result, there’s a clear sonic hole yawning between the drums and the wall of guitars and keyboards behind them.
That said, the album does have the recognizable AOR style of British melodic rock, leaning this time even harder on the legacy of Survivor’s “west coast” approach (so this is the most positively minded Newman album), while still carrying that melancholic veil that sets the phalanx of British AOR bands, Newman included, apart in this genre. This time, though, that veil of melancholy takes a back seat. There are a few outstanding moments that lead the pack in terms of arrangement quality, such as the title track Under Southern Skies, plus Ghost In The Night and the closing Montserrat. These three are dominated by that specific British melancholic drama effect that has always made Newman catch fire. The rest of the album is solidly done, just as you’d expect from Newman. The songs keep up that pleasing, melodically compact effect from the very first listen. Still, it’s impossible to shake the feeling that this time the album lacks expressive charge and freshness, or to put it plainly, the choruses don’t manage to build peaks in the songs and carry the mood to a full atmospheric “crescendo”.
“Under Southern Skies” is a proven, cautious studio effort from the band. Fans of the group will like it, but as far as the band itself goes, it brings no artistic growth or maturing. Given that Newman have signed with AOR Heaven Records, though, this is a very good starting point for finally getting noticed more strongly and spreading the name to the old continent too. Maybe even a short tour outside the UK. That would be awesome. So “Under Southern Skies” brings no new ground or stylistic progress, and Newman use it to keep their tried-and-tested sound and standing. With so many tricks we’ve already heard on earlier releases, though, they pull it off less successfully this time.
Lineup
Steve Newman – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards
Rob McEwan – drums
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Shaun Bessant – guitar solo on track no. 2
Production
Steve Newman
Tracklist
1. Killing Me
2. If He Loves You
3. Under Southern Skies
4. Strength To Carry On
5. Ghost In The Night
6. Without Warning
7. She’s Gone
8. Fire With Fire
9. Save No Prisoners
10. Wish You Were Here
11. Montserrat
