“Coming onto the country scene in 1996, Steve Azar struggled to break through on major label Mercury. But listening to his new self-released set one gets the sense that this is the album he’s always wanted to make. Ultimately listenable, the at-times-rocking, at-times- bluesy, at-times-country collection fits Azar and the listener as comfortably as an old shoe. Named for the Mississippi birthplace of B.B. King, the set includes “Flatlands,” which with its greasy slide guitar speaks to Azar’s Delta roots. “Crowded” finds Azar bemoaning urban sprawl, while “The River’s Workin’ ” is a working man’s anthem that conjures John Mellencamp, Bob Seger and Jackson Browne. “You’re My Life,” written with Radney Foster, could have been a hit for the Traveling Wilburys. Comparisons aside, this is an album that only Azar, with his varied influences, could make. —Ken Tucker”
Latest Comments