I’ve never met Stevie Russell, but if the guy is similar to his music, all I can imagine is someone who hasn’t just given up on the bohemian lifestyle yet. His EP is a great surprise to me – I spend my evenings listening to all kind of artists with all kind of instruments, and it’s refreshing from time to time to find a little gem like this, a music that is just a good voice and a guitar. With this man, there seems to be no artifice, no pretention. Just an authentic sound. A very pleasant one when, like me, you’re sitting by the fire with a nice cup of tea and the weather outside is appalling. It’s a comforting sound.
In many aspects, he reminds me of Raphaël, a French boy who was very popular when I was young. Maybe it’s the voice, maybe it’s the general “let me grab a guitar and play you a tune” attitude. In the music and its lyrics, the whole EP is wrapped in a 70’s smoky atmosphere full of blues and nostalgia that I really appreciate.
I don’t think I could describe each song separately – firstly because I’m not very good at doing so, but mostly because to me they go together as a whole and display more or less the same themes. Friday Night Fortune Teller Blues can be seen as the introduction, the nostalgic atmosphere. My favourite, ‘Broken Radio’ is a cosy remembrance of the good old times. ‘Lust and Nicotine’ adds a bit of punch and bitterness – and ‘Jenny Was A Hipster’ (perhaps the most different song) concludes the whole piece with a start of life.
I recommend to listen to this music in the following circumstances : if you’re feeling poetic and are trying to write something; when it’s “me-time” and the outside world is bothering you while you really couldn’t be bothered anymore; as a background sound in a Lost in Translation-like piano bar; or simply when you’re having a casual night in with a few good friends.
◀ STANDOUT ⁞ Broken Radio ▶
◀ SOUNDS LIKE ⁞ Bob Dylan | Raphaël ▶
