Music: Steady On (Shawn Colvin)

Album Review: Steady On by Shawn Colvin

Shawn Colvin is another artist that I have grown up with, and listening to her music instantly makes me think back on earlier days. Thus, I'm more partial to her music than most people would be. That said, Shawn Colvin is an incredibly gifted musician by any measure. She has phenomenal vocal abilities, able to convey anything from a tough rocker to a sweet little girl - sometimes all in the same song. Her songwriting is quite strong, and the instrumentals are quite interesting and solid in quality. She is apparently categorized as both rock and contemporary folk. This album, Steady On, was her first, released in 1989. All tracks were written by Shawn Colvin (some with the help of John Leventhal).

1. "Steady On"

We start off the album with the title track here; unlike with many of the albums I review, this opening track is not either an obvious single or upbeat number. It does, however, set the tone quite nicely for the rest of the album. Which leaves the task of describing what exactly that is... sadly, I am not a music theorist and this is significantly different from a lot of other music I like (The Beatles, Coldplay, etc.). I suppose I will have to be pretty impressionistic about the music here, since I'm obviously failing at specifics. To me, the feel of this song is like going on a long car drive, especially in the chorus, just driving down one of those endless highways. It prepares your mind and mood for the relaxing yet thoughtful tone of the album.

2. "Diamond in the Rough"

This song is a bit more active than the opening title track, driven by the guitar (keep in mind, I don't mean "drive" in the rock'n'roll sense; just more of a sense of the beat). The verses give a definite sense of buildup, both from the vocal and the instrumental work; when the chorus comes in, the feel turns more to straight folk-rock. This is followed by an interesting part by a flute-like instrument (again, I'm clueless as to exactly what it is). The song contains a unique, unexpected but very neat little middle-eight section as well. Great instrumentals, great melody make this one of my favorite tracks on the album.

3. "Shotgun Down the Avalanche"

This one is also somewhat more uptempo than the opening track, but the feel here is much more mysterious than "Diamond"s. The verses are the strength here, as Shawn puts quite a bit of variety into her vocal (even compared to the other tracks), while the chorus is quite restrained and short. Guitars of several varieties make their strongest appearance yet on this track, and also features the strongest demonstration yet of Colvin's trademark, echo-y guitar sound. This is a very interesting track, and certainly worth playing through at least a few times.

4. "Stranded"

Now we go back to a slower style - this one might be the slowest on the album, in fact. The verses are very pretty, even if it starts to sound a bit too repetitive after awhile. And the chorus indeed does a great job of instilling the feeling of being stranded. It's an alright song, but I think one of the weaker points on the album. It just is slow to the point of almost plodding, and the mood downbeat to the point of almost depressing. This is one where the mood you are in while likely greatly affect how you feel about it.

5. "Another Long One"

Ah, good, we're back to something a little more uptempo, featuring percussion that almost sounds like someone banging on a garbage can (a cool effect, trust me). Shawn enters with an insistent-sounding verse before moving to the chorus, one of her best on the album and making neat use of a double-tracked vocal. The instrumental mix is quite odd, but fits perfectly, just as in the title track (which I forgot to mention there). This song was definitely a good choice to put right after "Stranded," as it quickly snaps the listener's attention back on the music.

6. "Cry Like An Angel"

Although this song is not at all fast, it's got a nice beat to tap your foot to. The verses are quite cool, a little reminiscent of "Diamond..." here. I also like the start of the chorus, which seems to be building to a nice finish - when instead it oddly seems to fizzle out. An accordion and the echo-y guitars are featured here in the instrumentals. I think this one goes on a bit too long, especially since Shawn never gives the outburst of intensity that the song seems to promise. There are some really strong points here, but some disappointment, too.

7. "Something To Believe In"

Here, Shawn does a much better in seeing it through from the beginning of the verse through the end of the chorus. The verses give the impression (and perhaps the lyrics in them as well...) of running through a list of life's questions; not posing them as bad things, but just as challenges. The chorus answers this with, well... the title of the song. Just keep pushing through. The more laid back beat gives the song a nice platform to consider those ideas, too, all while keeping your foot tapping gently. I get a little bit of the feeling from the title track, too, of the ongoing nature of the theme. Good continuity, and a nice song.

8. "The Story"

Yay, a song in 6/8 time! Beyond the song's meter signature (which also helps), this is just a really nice piece of music. Shawn uses one of her most gentle, soothing vocal styles, and it really almost makes the term "pretty song" a tangible thing. The verses are very nice, with the lyrics coming from Colvin's lips at a pretty good clip. The chorus, however, begins with an extended note on which Shawn displays her expressionism impressively. In addition, behind the gentle nature of the song is a theme of determination and strength. One of my favorite tracks on the album.

9. "Ricochet In Time"

Here we get the shortest track on the album, and it seems to me a little like a cross between "Steady On" and "Stranded," with percussion on the upbeat to give it more tempo. It's not a very ambitious track; it neither soars high nor crashes down low. Some funky instrumental work is what stands out the most here. The verses are fine, and the chorus once again gives that feeling of, as The Beatles would have said, "the long and winding road," as first created by the title track. Not bad, but not great, either.

10. "Dead Of The Night"

The instrumentals, with deep drums and high strings, give it a more dramatic feel to start, then seems to come back to a regular level of intensity during the verse, before rising again just before the chorus where Shawn lets loose without getting loud, either. I suppose this track makes a good bookend for the album with "Steady On"; again, that sense of the "long road" is present, particularly in the chorus. This track has more dramatic flair than the title track, but it definitely also has more of a sense of finality to it. Another one that I can feel quite differently about depending on my mood: it can seem either too slow and plodding, or it can seem quite powerful and beautiful.

Score: 4 out of 5. I'm afraid this is probably one of my weakest reviews I've done so far. Shawn Colvin's music is simply considerably different from what I'm used to writing about. This is certainly quite a strong album, but it is sort of like Coldplay's first album: concentrates on the strength of the artist - which isn't a bad thing exactly, but neither album really tried to move out of its comfort zone. Still, this album is definitely worth at least a listen or two.

Essentials: "Steady On", "Diamond In The Rough", "Something To Believe In", "The Story"

Weak(er) Songs: "Stranded", "Ricochet In Time"