It is difficult to stomach the state of our country at this moment, with an unabashed white supremacist as president, and violent morons ready and eager to follow him into some kind of race war. How do we cope with this hideous reality? Music has been one of the few things to put me back in touch with the better side of humanity, a humanity of hope and love and compassion and joy and humor. Steven Bruce’s debut album as a solo artist, Same Time, Same Place, Same Station, features mostly original material, music that tells us we can make it through whatever fresh hell we’re given. Yes, there may still be some looking back, some regret, some loss, but as long as we’re still here, there is hope. Some of you probably know Steven Bruce from his work with Whiskey Revival, a country band that began as a trio and has grown from there, mixing original material and pop and rock covers. And on this album, Steven Bruce delivers some excellent country music, featuring some fine lyrics. Joining him on this release are E.P. Jackson on electric guitar, bass, percussion and harmonica; Mackenzie Roark on harmony vocals; Karen Jonas on harmony vocals; Derrick Decker on drums; Seth Brown on drums; Gary Lee Gimble on pedal steel guitar; Dustin Brandt on keys and organ; Mark Bower on accordion; and Caroline Ayers on fiddle.
The album opens with “Cryin’ Eyes,” a wonderful tune that starts off in a somewhat mellow and thoughtful place, then kicks in. It is a song that looks back, but doesn’t need to look far, for the past is still with him. “From all the things I said I would and seldom seemed to do/Cryin’ eyes, missing you/Ain’t nobody left to blame/But there’s no one left but you.” There is something strangely comforting in his weary, but friendly vocal approach, and this track features some nice work on pedal steel guitar. There is also a sweetness to this track, and it’s a song I like more and more each time I listen to it. It’s followed by “Rhinestoned.” Yeah, it’s kind of a silly title, but I totally appreciate that. We can use a little silliness these days, right? Like the first song, it deals with life after a breakup. “One night alone turned to a life of regret/It’s been forty days since you walked away from me/But I still feel you here with me, that’s where you should be.” And I really like this line: “And how could we forecast our love growing this cold?” The song has a good solid country sound, and actually addresses that type of music in the line “That’s why I love old country songs.” Ah yes, using country music and its trappings in order to forget someone. I’m not sure if that would work, because the music seems to act as a reminder of the person. But, hey, everybody must get rhinestoned.
As “Colorado Tune” begins, that rhythm and that work on harmonica make me happy. There is a joy to this one, no question. “Take a bite, and then smoke a pipe/Ain’t life just so peachy/Colorado, you won my heart/And my soul is in your hands.” This song has a tremendous amount of appeal for me, particularly as I just spent wonderful week in Boulder and can appreciate lines like “You can drink your weight in craft beer/You can smoke your weight in green/Colorado ain’t my home/But it’s sure been nice to me.” Indeed! This is one of my personal favorites. And it’s followed by another of the disc’s highlights, “Downtown Blues,” which is more in the folk realm. I dig that percussion, but it’s the vocal line that really stands out for me. Check out these lyrics: “But you can’t jump in when you don’t swim/Guess that’s what I’m doing here, we’re drowning again/Sink or float are the only two options/When it comes to love, my boat’s always capsizing again/And again/I said it gets easy, but I don’t believe that’s true/I said it gets easy, but I don’t believe that’s true/If things were so easy, you’d still be here/And I’d still have more to lose.” I completely love his vocal performance on this track.
“Weekend Song” is a rockin’ number, with the guitar work inspired by Chuck Berry. A line like “I’ve been working like a dog all week, y’all, and I’m ready for a wild weekend” might not mean as much to us in these days of unemployment and pandemic and bars being closed, but the song is still totally enjoyable. And, who knows, perhaps at some point we will be back in touch with the world of this song. At that point, turn up the volume a little more on this one. “Breathe” is yet another of my favorites. Its first lines are “It’s the first week of October/And I’m a thousand miles from sober.” Amen. This song is, at least at the beginning, about getting over a woman, but certain lines work for all of us, regardless of our individual situations, lines like “Just breathe, just breathe/Take it in and let it out/Sometimes it’s all you need.” We certainly need this kind of reminder now, for, whatever personal troubles you may have, we collectively have some serious problems to deal with. “Take the time to listen before your time’s all gone.” This one is helping to ease my mind. There is an optimistic bent to it that I want to latch onto. And there is a beauty to it as well. I have a feeling this is a song a lot of us have been looking for.
“Detours” has a full, vibrant and strong sound. In this one, Steven sings “See those wrong turns you made.” Maybe that’s what it is. We as a country made a detour through hell, a wrong turn, and at this point we’ve gone too far to turn around, and are just hoping this crummy road eventually leads us back to some sort of civilization. The sound of this song feels like the state we’re in. There is an edge to it, and it encourages some sort of introspection. “Take a look around you/Take a look down deep inside.” Then “Long Haul” begins with some nice work on guitar and pedal steel, kind of easing us in, with a warmth that is inviting, a sound you want to wrap yourself in. It is nearly a minute before Steven’s vocals come in. “It’s a long haul/It’s a short fall/From the top back to the ground.” This line also stands out: “It takes more than ‘I love you’ to mend a broken heart.” Sure, this might be depressing, but it is also a song that seems to tell us to hang on, and that’s just what we intend to do.
The album’s only cover song is “There’s No Home For You Here,” written by Jack White, and originally included on The White Stripes’ album Elephant. Steven Bruce delivers a cool rendition, with an energy and style that is a bit different from the rest of the tracks on this release. That’s followed by “Shirley Bird,” a song in celebration of a woman who is now gone. “Heaven was bright before you got there, then got brighter with the likes of you.” It seems that death is all around us. This week we lost Helen Reddy, Mac Davis and Rocco Prestia (the bass player of Tower Of Power). Music like this helps us get through these times, looking at those we’ve lost with love and admiration. Then “Keeping Time” is the song that gives the album its title, in the lines “Same time, same place, same station/Until time’s on our side, I’ll be waiting/Until I see you again, I hope this song will do until then.” There is optimism to this one too. “You do the best you can, and, honey that’s all that you can do.” Oh yes, and maybe that will be enough. We’ll see. The disc then concludes with “Tommy,” which is listed as a bonus track, though, as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t quite understand how a song can be considered a bonus track on an album’s initial release. Anyway, it’s a fun and sweet song that features some great stuff on both harmonica and fiddle.
CD Track List
- Cryin’ Eyes
- Rhinestoned
- Colorado Tune
- Downtown Blues
- Weekend Song
- Breathe
- Detours
- Long Haul
- There’s No Home For You Here
- Shirley Bird
- Keeping Time
- Tommy
Same Time, Same Place, Same Station was released on August 7, 2020.
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