Let’s give a warm Ark of Music welcome to BB Stevens! Hailing from Hoboken, NJ, and signed to Stryker/Virgin Records, BB Stevens plays a mix of alternative acoustic-y rock and grand-sounding Americana. Presenting his latest release, “Starlight in Me,” it’s immediately evident why Stryker/Virgin scooped up this experienced, heart-on-sleeve, wholly contrite no-nonsense songwriter. Ready to hear the music of BB Stevens’ regretful, perhaps unrepairable heart? Let’s talk about it.
Listening, and talking about it.
“Starlight in Me” really misses someone. I mean, REALLY misses someone. It starts with longing lyrics, acoustic guitar, and a light, hovering synth-string pad. BB Stevens’ voice is comparable to Tom Waits – it’s rumbling, expressive, slightly thunderous, made harder by time and experience, and straining to survive the song’s pummeling emotional catharsis.
At about 2:43, things get serious. The drums are more pronounced as the meter doubles, a wide-chamber chorus fills the background, and BB Stevens, with every ounce of strength, pleads for forgiveness.
And when it ends, it’s a bit more stripped down; that big choral ensemble dissipates, the acoustic guitar resumes its station, and after ominous, string-bending chords, a final, hopeful chord promises a hint of healing, of eventual emotional resolution.
But is it good?
BB Stevens delivers the goods. “Starlight in Me” pleads for that special someone – the person who saw the good, the value, in BB Stevens. Someone who saw, and was mesmerized by, his “starlight.” But they’re gone, and with all his might, with every scalding ember of his discarded being, BB Stevens enacts one last and desperate attempt for forgiveness. If you’ve been on a comparable emotional cliff, BB Stevens is right there with you. Is it good? It’s great, both in the pain it shares, and the agonizing honesty it conveys. Recommended.
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BELOW: Listen to BB Stevens and check him out on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter. Please support BB Stevens by visiting his website, and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing his music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music.
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