Steven Moore: “Just A Little Talk With Myself” (2022) CD Review

I find myself turning to music more and more for any lingering signs of humanity, and for peace of mind. My internet and landline were knocked out last week when thieves decided to cut the cable leading to my building for its copper wire. Obviously, they didn’t care about the effect that would have on the people requiring internet access for work and so on. Just one more example of how people are growing more inconsiderate and horrible by the day. As you might understand, I was feeling frustrated and furious. But the moment I put this Steven Moore disc on, my mood lifted. Steven Moore is an accomplished banjo player and songwriter who is known for his work in the bluegrass band Almost Famous. Just A Little Talk With Myself is his debut solo release, containing both original material and covers, and featuring mostly instrumental tracks. Joining him on this release are Stuart Duncan on fiddle, Byron House on bass, Cody Kilby on guitar, and James Seliga on mandolin, as well as several special guests on various tracks.

The album opens with “A New Leaf,” a pretty instrumental track that seems to say that things are going to be all right. This is a warm ray of light to pierce the darkest of moods. Like I mentioned, I was in a foul temper before putting this disc on, and this track dispelled that mood immediately. There is some wonderful playing here, not just on banjo, but also fiddle, guitar, mandolin and bass. This is just the thing to remind us that most troubles are fleeting. It is an original composition. “A New Leaf” is followed by a sweet rendition of “All Of Me.” This tune was written by pianist Jon Schmidt of The Piano Guys. I just saw The Piano Guys a few weeks ago, when my niece was chosen to play violin with them at a gig in Medford, Massachusetts. And Jon played this beautiful piece at that show. Steven Moore’s rendition is excellent, keeping the banjo in the center of the action. This track has an uplifting quality and effect.

“Just A Little Talk With Myself,” the album’s title track, is an original song, written by Steven Moore and David R. Mayfield. Mayfield also sings lead on this track, with Rosa Vestal and Scott Vestal providing backing vocals. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Learning how to unlearn all the damage that’s been done/Because it’s time to change my mind/And love the life I’m living like I’m only given one.” I appreciate the idea of speaking kindly to one’s self. How often do we do that? Don’t we more often chastise and criticize ourselves? The instrumental section features more great playing by each of the musicians, and the fiddle in particular seems able to raise us to great heights. Then “The Ride” is a cheerful and lively instrumental number. Again, each of the musicians gets plenty of moments to shine. I especially love the guitar here. Gaven Largent plays dobro on this track, delivering some excellent work. There is a strong sense of movement forward here. This is a tune to give us the confidence that we can overcome obstacles and get wherever it is we want to go.

Steven Moore goes in a different direction with “Goodbye, Love,” which features gorgeous string work and arrangement by Chris Sexton, while the banjo remains the central voice. This original tune is both sad and hopeful. That is followed by “O’Connell Street,” which has a strong Irish vibe, something I naturally love. In addition to banjo, Steven Moore plays pennywhistle on this track. There is such a friendly feel to this piece, and the track features a cool lead on bass in the second half. Then “One Small Step” also seems to take us to a foreign land. I love music that transports us, in one sense or another, and this original instrumental track certainly accomplishes that. There is a lot of great banjo playing, and Gaven Largent returns on dobro. At times, listening to this track I get the sense of a gathering of people, family, with much animated, but pleasant conversation.

Steven Moore delivers a gentle, pretty rendition of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” with Elliott Park on vocals. His voice has an intimate and somewhat somber feel, which draws us in close. And I love that beautiful instrumental section in the middle. This is an excellent cover. It is followed by an instrumental rendition of “When Johnny Comes Marching Home.” It begins as you might expect, though perhaps a bit slowly, easing in. Then, after a minute or so, it picks up the pace, and has a delicious traditional bluegrass sound. There is some exciting playing here, particularly on guitar and banjo. Scott Vestal joins Steven Moore on banjo on this track. By the way, Scott Vestal also produced this release. And check out that bass lead toward the end of the track. Interestingly, Steven Moore then slows things down with his version of “Shady Grove.” This unusual rendition features some beautiful work on fiddle, and has an air of melancholy. Steven Moore maintains a slower pace for “Song For Dani,” an original composition. This beautiful piece features Chris Sexton again on strings. I love the way this track builds in its second half, particularly the energy of the strings.

“Bent To Fly” has a different sound from the beginning, in part because of the presence of drums. That’s Chris Brown on drums. This is a cover of a song by Slash. I never cared for Guns N’ Roses (and, hey, guys, you need an apostrophe before the N too), and never listened to Slash’s solo material. John Cowan is on vocals for this one, and Gaven Largent is again on dobro. This track just doesn’t work for me. It doesn’t fit with the rest of the album, and is a bit jarring. It pulls me out of the mood that the rest of the tracks worked so well to establish. But don’t worry, things immediately get better again with a cover of Bill Monroe’s “Wheel Hoss.” There is a snippet from an old Bill Monroe interview at the beginning of the track. This lively rendition features some excellent playing. The album concludes with an interesting medley, “Angeline The Baker” paired with “Welcome To Beijing.” This pretty track leaves us feeling good.

CD Track List

1. A New Leaf
2. All Of Me
3. Just A Little Talk With Myself
4. The Ride
5. Goodbye, Love
6. O’Connell Street
7. One Small Step
8. Take Me Home, Country Roads
9. When Johnny Comes Marching Home
10. Shady Grove
11. Song For Dani
12. Bent To Fly
13. Wheel Hoss
14. Angeline The Baker/Welcome To Beijing

Just A Little Talk With Myself was released on September 16, 2022.