Steve Hill – Dear Illusion (and limited edition comic-book)
Canadian musician Steve Hill has, over the last ten years, made a multiple Maple and Juno award winning name for himself as a one-man-blues-rock-band via his multi-instrumentation solo shows, three acclaimed & notable Solo Recordings albums and a live release that captured the essence and energy of his performances.
More lately however a pseudo-cinematic side of Steve Hill was heard on 2021’s Desert Trip, an acoustic/ California country influenced album inspired by the Desert Trip Festival of 2016, following which Hill rented a camper van to criss-cross California, camping (and writing) in the natural wilds of places such as Death Valley, Big Sur and Yosemite.
Desert Trip is Steve Hill’s most interesting and evocative album to date, but Dear Illusion, his twelfth release, is unquestionably his best work to date.
The album, some three years in the (re)making, reinforces Hill’s blues-rock credentials, this time in the company of a horn section and, on six of the ten songs, in-the-groove drumming from British Blues Awards Hall of Famer Wayne Proctor, who also mixed and mastered the album (making it Steve Hill’s best sounding album to date as well).
Dear Illusion also celebrates Steve Hill’s 25th year as a recording artist, and it’s hard to see or hear how he could have bettered it – except he did.
By way of explanation, a version of the album was ready just before Covid came calling; what followed was the inevitable release delay and lots of spare, non-gigging time to revisit.
The result, as Steve Hill states, was a release "that will offer my fans the album I’m sure will meet their expectations for my 25th anniversary as a recording artist. The results that we collectively achieved with the album ended up reflecting both maturity and introspection. I am proud of the work."
He should be proud, because from swinging opener 'All About The Love' (a mash-up of two styles, two tempos, two recording locations and two different horn sections accompanying one of three one-man-band performances) to the airy charm of album closer 'Until The Next Time' (the stylistically different six-string sound comes from Steve Hill playing a copy of Jerry Garciaʼs Tiger guitar with an integrated preamp), Dear Illusion is an out and out winner.
Between those album bookends you’ll find eight more tracks, each with their own merit, and all standouts.
The introductory harmonica on 'Keep it Together' leads to an upbeat and up-tempo number (think Chris Rea after three double expressos) with a lyric that could well nod to the then pandemic & lockdown blues.
Great song that 'Keep it Together' is, it’s bettered by the ridiculously infectious and rhythmically grooving (kudos here to Wayne Proctor) 'Everything You Got,' which features a tasty two-guitars solo (a back and forth between a 55 Les Paul Jr and a 66 Telecaster, guitar lovers) and, on the accompanying video, a great gotta dance! performance from 'the studio cleaner' (in reality Canadian singer-musician-songwriter Johnny Pilgrim).
More lately however a pseudo-cinematic side of Steve Hill was heard on 2021’s Desert Trip, an acoustic/ California country influenced album inspired by the Desert Trip Festival of 2016, following which Hill rented a camper van to criss-cross California, camping (and writing) in the natural wilds of places such as Death Valley, Big Sur and Yosemite.
Desert Trip is Steve Hill’s most interesting and evocative album to date, but Dear Illusion, his twelfth release, is unquestionably his best work to date.
The album, some three years in the (re)making, reinforces Hill’s blues-rock credentials, this time in the company of a horn section and, on six of the ten songs, in-the-groove drumming from British Blues Awards Hall of Famer Wayne Proctor, who also mixed and mastered the album (making it Steve Hill’s best sounding album to date as well).
Dear Illusion also celebrates Steve Hill’s 25th year as a recording artist, and it’s hard to see or hear how he could have bettered it – except he did.
By way of explanation, a version of the album was ready just before Covid came calling; what followed was the inevitable release delay and lots of spare, non-gigging time to revisit.
The result, as Steve Hill states, was a release "that will offer my fans the album I’m sure will meet their expectations for my 25th anniversary as a recording artist. The results that we collectively achieved with the album ended up reflecting both maturity and introspection. I am proud of the work."
He should be proud, because from swinging opener 'All About The Love' (a mash-up of two styles, two tempos, two recording locations and two different horn sections accompanying one of three one-man-band performances) to the airy charm of album closer 'Until The Next Time' (the stylistically different six-string sound comes from Steve Hill playing a copy of Jerry Garciaʼs Tiger guitar with an integrated preamp), Dear Illusion is an out and out winner.
Between those album bookends you’ll find eight more tracks, each with their own merit, and all standouts.
The introductory harmonica on 'Keep it Together' leads to an upbeat and up-tempo number (think Chris Rea after three double expressos) with a lyric that could well nod to the then pandemic & lockdown blues.
Great song that 'Keep it Together' is, it’s bettered by the ridiculously infectious and rhythmically grooving (kudos here to Wayne Proctor) 'Everything You Got,' which features a tasty two-guitars solo (a back and forth between a 55 Les Paul Jr and a 66 Telecaster, guitar lovers) and, on the accompanying video, a great gotta dance! performance from 'the studio cleaner' (in reality Canadian singer-musician-songwriter Johnny Pilgrim).
The title track of the album is a blues waltz ballad to heartbreak; the horns beautifully complement a number that lyrically accepts the realisation that an individual you were in love with was not the person you thought ("how could I be so wrong… how could I be so caught in this illusion?")
'Steal The Light From You (Bigger Star)' was originally an acoustic contender for Desert Trip, but here in
re-recorded, country rock and roll form, it’s a perfect fit for Dear Illusion, with bags of crossover appeal.
With a title that needs no explanation, the tempo-shifting and horns blaring rocker 'Donʼt Let The Truth Get In The Way (Of a Good Story)' is a six-years to complete number that berates Administrative lies, abstract truths and social media addiction.
Lyrically it’s topical and on-point; musically it’s the best song Steve Hill has yet written and recorded.
Old-time soul-blues number 'Follow Your Heart' (which has a lovely feel of familiarity about it and a nice lyric from Johnny Pilgrim) provides a change of pace and further contrast before the shortest (and sweetest) number on the album, 'So it Goes,' acoustically drifts by on a lyric (again by Pilgrim) of passing and thoughtful reflection.
'She Gives Lessons In Blues' nods to Steve Hill's Solo Recordings period while being partly in the present ("been singin’ the blues for twenty-five years…"). Another one-man-band performance (with overdubbed lead guitar and horns), the number carries such mid-tempo soul-blues authenticity that you could be forgiven for checking to see if one of the Three Kings of the Blues recorded it first.
As icing on the 25th Anniversary as a recording artist cake, there's also a limited edition Dear Illusion comic book, as created by comic book artist Rob Cannon (who also drew the Desert Trip and Dear Illusion covers).
An art-form love of Steve Hill’s (and indeed this reviewer, who admits to being a bit of a comic-book historian/ aficionado and Bat-geek), he had a passion for drawing and wanted to write comic books before he was writing music (there are similarities in their short storytelling art).
Rob Cannon’s experimental/ psychedelic style and chosen colour palette perfectly suit the Desert Trip landscapes that act as a backdrop to a science fiction story (featuring 'The Musician' and alien Caravaneer dream creatures) that cleverly references Dear Illusion song themes and their meaning.
The niche latter will not appeal to everyone, but it’s a great companion piece to an album that should appeal to all and any who love and appreciate great music.
That’s not Illusion, that’s rock and roll reality.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Dear Illusion is available worldwide from https://ffm.to/dearillusion and the official store
Physical copies of the Dear Illusion comic book are available here
The digital edition of the Dear Illusion comic book is available here
'Steal The Light From You (Bigger Star)' was originally an acoustic contender for Desert Trip, but here in
re-recorded, country rock and roll form, it’s a perfect fit for Dear Illusion, with bags of crossover appeal.
With a title that needs no explanation, the tempo-shifting and horns blaring rocker 'Donʼt Let The Truth Get In The Way (Of a Good Story)' is a six-years to complete number that berates Administrative lies, abstract truths and social media addiction.
Lyrically it’s topical and on-point; musically it’s the best song Steve Hill has yet written and recorded.
Old-time soul-blues number 'Follow Your Heart' (which has a lovely feel of familiarity about it and a nice lyric from Johnny Pilgrim) provides a change of pace and further contrast before the shortest (and sweetest) number on the album, 'So it Goes,' acoustically drifts by on a lyric (again by Pilgrim) of passing and thoughtful reflection.
'She Gives Lessons In Blues' nods to Steve Hill's Solo Recordings period while being partly in the present ("been singin’ the blues for twenty-five years…"). Another one-man-band performance (with overdubbed lead guitar and horns), the number carries such mid-tempo soul-blues authenticity that you could be forgiven for checking to see if one of the Three Kings of the Blues recorded it first.
As icing on the 25th Anniversary as a recording artist cake, there's also a limited edition Dear Illusion comic book, as created by comic book artist Rob Cannon (who also drew the Desert Trip and Dear Illusion covers).
An art-form love of Steve Hill’s (and indeed this reviewer, who admits to being a bit of a comic-book historian/ aficionado and Bat-geek), he had a passion for drawing and wanted to write comic books before he was writing music (there are similarities in their short storytelling art).
Rob Cannon’s experimental/ psychedelic style and chosen colour palette perfectly suit the Desert Trip landscapes that act as a backdrop to a science fiction story (featuring 'The Musician' and alien Caravaneer dream creatures) that cleverly references Dear Illusion song themes and their meaning.
The niche latter will not appeal to everyone, but it’s a great companion piece to an album that should appeal to all and any who love and appreciate great music.
That’s not Illusion, that’s rock and roll reality.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Dear Illusion is available worldwide from https://ffm.to/dearillusion and the official store
Physical copies of the Dear Illusion comic book are available here
The digital edition of the Dear Illusion comic book is available here