Play 90 second soundbite of 'All I Want' @ 'CD quality'
Keeping instrumentation to a bare minimum, Heath has captured his style superbly; laid back, almost whispery yet slightly husky vocals are beautifully mixed and proportioned just-so such that his voice almost becomes an additional instrument. Heath's songs are somewhat morose sounding but he still manages to deliver them in such a way as to make them feel much lighter (in a Nick Cave on speed sorta way!!). Heath certainly writes to his musical strengths and by doing so he cleverly avoids the potential pitfalls of over-instrumentation, digital enhancement and cluttered arrangements. Heath is an honest singer/songwriter writing and performing honest acoustic music. All the tracks here, 'All I Want', 'Two Weeks From Now' and 'Static To Station' are lyrically connected and form a story which is obsessed with noir, airports, cities and streetlights. 'Tel Aviv', albeit just three tracks, is a clear indication of Heath's musical prowess and potential. Maybe not totally commercial but Heath's 'grubby' style is certainly very listenable and more than a little intoxicating. Given the right sort of exposure I could easily see Steven Heath becoming a bit of an alternative cult hero.
Steven Heath's easy and friendly style goes a bit against the grain in the current musical climate. Heath is not gonna be someone who sells himself short but I hope he'll persevere with his extremely warm acoustic way - he may not get in through the front door but there's every chance he could sneak in quietly through a back door and really make a name for himself. 'Tel Aviv' by Steven Heath is a sensitive yet downbeat acoustic work - it's defo something that I got off on and I'd like to think I'm not the only one with a longing for music of this strength and class that's boldly far enough removed from the contemporary norm to be entertaining, rewarding and more than a little nerve-tingling. 'Tel Aviv' is well written, well crafted and a real grower and I'd certainly like to hear a lot more from the impressive all-rounder Steven Heath.
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