Steven Blane – The Met

HERE’S WHAT WE DUG MOST…

What If sets the stage for the jazz-forward nature of this album. Smooth and sultry saxophone beneath gentle acoustic guitar, subdued keys, and simple percussion add depth and richness, but together still highlight the simplicity that we’ve come to know Blane for. And just like the title implies, the track is suggestive and mysterious, musing on potential futures with poetic insight:

“What if
My first glance you didn’t see
What if your first dance was not with me
What if you had not become my destiny“

There’s something inherently intriguing about the phrase The Day After New Year’s Eve. Where there’s often a cliched sense of hope and optimism found on the first day of a new year, on this album’s second track Blane focuses on another less upbeat sentiment – the worn-out feeling that comes with the dissipating magic from the night before. His voice carries a bit of an edge in this track, with a touch of grit and intensity that infuses authenticity into his performance.

The bouncy, uptempo lilt of Love Is seems to perfectly capture the essence of newfound romance, even as the story within the song seems to bound along into uncharted territory for the couple at hand – a complex story paired down into a few simple turns of phrase. We’ve heard work from Blane before that brings thoughts of crooners to mind (See Cruel to Me from his previous album), and in this track, we’re reminded of that again in his vocal performance – soulful, rich, Sinatra-esque.

We’re treated to a touch of swampy, blues-infused rhythm in She Danced Like an Angel – an unexpected but highly successful sojourn for this record. There’s a hypnotic amount of suspense in this track as Blane walks us through the dancer’s description with vivid imagery, and as a listener, you’re left with more questions than answers: who is she? Why is she dancing? Why did she have to leave? It’s a textbook recipe for leaving us wanting more, tied together by a guitar solo that makes for a welcome textural addition to this track.

We also love the mournful, descriptive, and wholly classic nature of In My Lonely Place, as well as Love is a Hurting Thing for its pessimistic rework of the theme of the earlier track Love Is.

OUR FAVORITE TRACK…

It’s a common occurrence to find bold, memorable song titles in Blane’s work, and this album is no exception when we arrive at the track titled I Hate Her. Strong words to be sure, but the feeling within this jazz-forward track doubles down on that sentiment tenfold. As we’re taken on the journey of all the many things Blane hates as much as the woman in question – a hangover on Sunday, a drive to work on Monday – we find ourselves musing on the thought that there’s a thin line between love and hate. And indeed, at the first chorus we get a glimpse of the love that the pair once shared slipped deftly in. The sax solo almost seems to act as a breath being taken, as if Blane needed a moment to collect his thoughts and refocus his efforts on the negative. But by the end of the track, though Blane continues to say the word hate, it sure does start to sound a lot like the word love in context. In its entirety, this track is a theatrical musical journey that is a show of songwriting and storytelling brilliance.

IN CONCLUSION…

We find once again that Steve Blane‘s work is in a class of its own. There is thoughtfulness, nuance, and emotion found on this album in droves, creating a work of art that is truly effortless to connect with. His mastery of his craft is as evident as it has ever been on The Met, bringing listeners some of the finest songwriting and musicianship that we’ve been fortunate enough to come across in recent memory. Fans of well-composed stories and genuine performances in pure singer-songwriter style will no doubt agree that Blane’s work on this album stands as a testament to his truly remarkable skill as an artist.

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