Steve Forbert is now over 30 years into his career and has just released his fourteenth studio album. He does not reinvent the wheel with Over With You. While the topics may have changed with the passage of time, his music has remained essentially the same. If you like one Steve Forbert album, the chances are you will like them all.
He is basically a singer/songwriter who treads the line between folk and pop. It all coalesces into his unique brand of roots or Americana music.
His newest release is a sparse affair, which keeps the focus on his strength as a songwriter. He has always had the abilty to write poetic lyrics that tell a story. Here, he writes and sings about love and relationships, plus the pain and sorrow that oftentimes accompanies them. It is one of the more personal albums of his career.
Musicians Ben Sollee (cello and bass), Jason Yates (keyboards), Michael Jerome (drums), and Sheldon Gomberg (electric and upright bass) provide the basics. A highlight is the cello work by Sollee, which adds some unique depth and textures to some of the material.
The first and last tracks are a microcosm to what lies in between. “All I Asked of You” is a bleak introduction to the album, which sets the tone for some of the painful observations that will follow. “Sugarcane Plum Fairy,” possibly the albums strongest track, is a sprawling piece that traces the renewing of an old relationship, which ends with some unsettling realizations.
If there is one thing that Forbert has always been able to do, it is write a song, and there are really no weak tracks among the ten contained on the album. “In Love With You” has a bluesy feel to it with guest Ben Harper providing some tasty slide guitar. “Can We Get Together” looks at long distance relationahips. “Baby I Know” is a welcome relief, as the up-tempo romp t finds his wit shining through.
The years have passed for Steve Forbert and he has produced a mature, if solemn album on Over With You. It ultimately proves to be another interesting stop in his life’s journey, and it’s worth going along for the ride.
