Maple Blues Magazine Review - John Valenteyn May 6, 2014
Steve Strongman Let Me Prove It To You Self
 

Maple Blues Magazine Review 

A Natural Fact was most unusual for Hamilton’s Steve Strongman and not just for winning the JUNO award. It was an acoustic album from an artist known for his electric shows. To say that news of his next disc was eagerly anticipated is a major understatement. Well, here’s the news: it will be released on May 13, it’s electric (mostly) and it’s great.
  
The opener is a stunning rocker – “There’s Something Goin’ On” is a ‘there’s mule kickin’ in my stall’ song with a slide hook to die for and a great chorus (with Emma-Lee). “What I Believe” is a slower & heavier, with some neat little shifts and a section with harp over an acoustic slide. “Get Used To It” is mostly acoustic, again with slide and again with a good tune and Jesse O’Brien on piano. The song says you’re not going to get everything you want. It’s not the only one here about getting older, “We’re Going Out Tonight” has an old friend calling him up and wanting to go out like the old days but our narrator has a wife and kids and things to do. Again with an inventive arrangement and tune.
  
While Strongman plays some pretty mean harp himself, he’s brought along Guy Bélanger from Montreal for “Lookin’ For Trouble”. Somewhat unusually, the song fades in as Strongman sings over his slide, the two have a dueling solo feature. The acoustic “Older” confronts the issue head on and the chorus, rather tunefully, says ‘he’s getting older but not old’- uptempo and optimistic.
  
Strongman is a one of our finest entertainers and one of our strongest songwriters. This album keeps that all-important momentum going. A strong contender for next year’s JUNO and he’s debuting it in Hamilton on May 9 at Hamilton Place, the Molson Canadian Studio Theatre. Our turn comes at Hugh’s Room a week later, on May 15th. 
Thanks to John Valenteyn & The Toronto Blues Society 


Hamilton Spectator Feature "Nothing Left To Prove" May 6, 2014  The Hamilton Spectator 
By Graham Rockingham 
May 6, 2014 

You could forgive Steve Strongman for going into the studio and repeating the formula that won him a Juno on his 2012 album, A Natural Fact.But it wouldn't have felt right. A Natural Fact was a big departure for the Hamilton blues artist. Strongman recorded that album using an acoustic guitar, despite the fact that he built up a loyal fan base for his fiery performances on electric guitar.
"A Natural Fact was the most successful album I've ever had," Strongman says in an interview about his upcoming album Let Me Prove It To You. "It would have been easy to go back to the well and do the same thing again, but I didn't put any parameters on this record at all. It was just what I felt like doing, and I felt like doing a band record again, coming back to what I do every single night when I'm onstage with a band."
The 11 original tracks on Let Me prove It To You bleed high-energy blues rock, referencing the late great Muddy Waters on songs like What I Believe, John Lee Hooker on We're Going Out Tonight and Stevie Ray Vaughan on the title track. This is shot-belting party music and probably the strongest of Strongman's five albums.
"I think writing really strong blues-based songs is one of the hardest things you can do," Strongman says. "You're writing within parameters. As soon as you change the music too much, people say 'that's not blues.'"
Strongman, 40, faces the challenge by combining traditional electric blues styles with contemporary lyrics that have more to do with raising a family in Hamilton than with 1950s Chicago or Memphis.
"I can't write about what it was like for the traditional blues artists," explains Strongman. "I can't write it because that was their lives. They grew up in the south. I'm writing about what it's like for me. As a huge blues fan, it's a hard thing to do, to still be honest and stick within the parameters."
Strongman, who moved to Hamilton from his native Kitchener 20 years ago, lives in the Locke Street neighbourhood with his wife, Meredith, and two young daughters, Ella and Scarlett. Some of the songs on the new CD reflect the new realities of life after 40, especially songs like Older ("I might be getting older, but I ain't getting old") and We're Goin' Out Tonight (an old friend stops by late one night and demands they go out on a wild tear).
"That's the reality," says Strongman. "People have kids, they've got to get up and go to work."
The album, recorded at drummer Dave King's Barn studio in Caistor Centre and at The Hive in Toronto, features familiar names to Strongman fans — Mark McIntyre and Alec Fraser on bass, Jesse O'Brien on keyboards, as well as guest appearances by Quebec harmonica player Guy Belanger and backing vocalist Emma-Lee.
Strongman's Juno win last year in Regina — he beat Colin James for blues album of the year in James' hometown — has given the Hamilton guitar slinger a national audience after playing for years in local clubs.
Last summer, he played 23 major festivals from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island. He has also played stints opening for guitar legends such as Johnny Winter, B.B. King and Buddy Guy.
He plans on following a similar circuit this summer after CD release parties in Hamilton (Friday in the Molson Canadian Studio at Hamilton Place), Toronto (May 15 at Hugh's Room), London (May 23 at London Music Hall, with Duke Robillard) and Quebec City (May 29 at Petit Champlain). In the fall, Strongman is planning a European tour focused on France and Switzerland.
grockingham@thespec.com
905-526-3331 | @RockatTheSpec
 

New Canadian Music - May 13, 2014 
New Canadian Music - New Releases

Kingston Music Reviews - May 2014 Kingston Music Reviews
Steve Strongman
Let Me Prove It To You
Steve Strongman – Let Me Prove It To You is one of a few blues albums that I am unable to turn away from. With this new release Steve goes back to his old ways by releasing a fired up electric blues album. By still implying all of the classic blues effects including, harmonica, keys ,backing vocals,  and enough slide to restore any type of negative mood that you may be in before you listen to this album.
 

With a fast thundering snare drum roll Let Me Prove It To You starts off with “There’s Something Goin’ On” which basically lets you get a quick taste of what Steve Strongman has to offer. With saucy and witty lyrics which could be lent off of personal experiences or based on every touring musicians home life. But more importantly you have Steve letting your ears have it right away with his intense slide guitar skills. For me it’s just the way he implements the slide in the song in all the right places. While not over peppering and drowning the song with the slide, for me he places and plays the slide a perfect manned and in the perfect places. Still after listening to this album for the past two weeks straight everyday at work I still get a laugh at the lyrics in the song.

Following the fast past song “There’s Something Goin’ On” Steve gets down with a deep blues number called “What I Believe”.  “What I Believe” is a deeper bassier song but with all the slide you could ask for to help smooth the song over. For me in a few parts the Harmonica comes in and steals the show in the song.

Now if you ever needed a song to learn the main lesson in life from  “Get Used To It” has it wrapped it up in three minutes and thirty five seconds. The first time I listened through this album I had to replay this song at least three times before I let the album progress any further. The duelling bar room sounding keys and blues guitar just erupts this song even higher. If you had to pick a reason why Steve Strongman is a Juno Award winner This song stamps it right out.

Steve Strongman Makes Acoustic Guitar Sing
Saturday, 28 April 2012 15:20 Richard Amery

Steve Strongman knows how to make an acoustic guitar rock on his new CD “Natural Fact.” He won the 2011 Maple Blues award for best blues guitarist of the year, and one listen to “Natural Fact,” it is easy to hear why.

You can hear pretty nimble fingerpicking right from the first track on “Haven’t Seen It Yet.” And it only gets better from there. While he sometimes has a band behind him, which make him sound a lot like Juno nominees Monkey Junk, he shines when left to his own devices and acoustic like on “You Do It To Yourself.”

He breaks out the harp for some hot playing on “ the jazz tinged “ Full of You.” and again to end the CD with “Just One Thing.”
He has a gorgeous liquid voice throughout and plays very impressive , usually fingerpicked guitar throughout the disc.
There is lots of beautiful slide guitar playing and superb harp blowing.

Respected singer/ songwriter Rob Szabo produced “Natural Fact,” and even adds extra bass on “Coming Home Tonight.”
One of the many highlights of this CD is the upbeat “Leaving,” with Juno nominee Suzie Vinnick,
which features a little boogie woogie piano to get thing started and a solid beat to get the feet moving. The two complement each other very well.

He slows down slightly on “Coming Home Tonight,” but then tears into “I Got Trouble,
which sounds like a long lost blues classic, but it is all his. All of the songs were either written by or co-written by Strongman.
“Full of You,” starts to bring the CD to close with a lot of hot picking. And he ends on a slower, almost all a cappella note, though with a lot of tasteful harp playing on “Just One Thing.”
With “ Natural Fact,” Steve Strongman is well on my way to becoming my new favourite Canadian bluesman and definitely a hidden treasure everyone should discover, like many people including Buddy Guy, Joe Cocker and Randy Bachman already have.
— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor


Check out this review of the new album...thanks to John the Rock Doctor from Gonzo online. 

A Natural Fact Steve Strongman (Independent) 5/5

A Natural Fact is the sweetest, most enjoyable disc of acoustic blues I’ve heard in a very long time- maybe even ever. A joyous blues album- is such a thing even possible? Yes it is- and here is all the proof you need.

Strongman was the Maples Blues Award winner last year for “Guitar Player Of The year”, and after hearing the new album I have no trouble believing it. “I’ve always had a love for acoustic based music, especially the blues” he says, and it shows here in the joy of his performance. His playing is driven yet supple, some tasty slide work, and you never get the feeling that he’s fighting the instrument. Part of the appeal of this record is that it feels so natural (hence the title I’m sure) and- I hate to use the word, but ‘effortless’.

There are several solo acoustic numbers here, just Steve with his guitar and voice. Elsewhere he’s joined by Dave King and Adam Warner on drums, Alec Fraser and Rob Szabo (producer) on bass, and Jesse O’Brien on piano. The bio says Strongman has shared stages with Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, Randy Bachman, Roy Clark, Otis Clay, Jeff Healey, Sonny Landreth and Joe Cocker, just to name a few- wish I’d been to any one of those shows!

I’d recently thought of giving up writing reviews, but as long as treasures like A Natural Fact cross my desk for me to pass along, I’ll keep at it. I’m sure I’m not the only one already considering this album for “Best Blues of 2012”.

TOP TRACKS: I Forgot, Can’t Go Back, I Got Trouble