One of the most distinctive voices on the singer-songwriter pop scene has had a hard time selling records lately, but that doesn't mean Steve Forbert has lost his ability to write and sing terrific songs. Here Forbert ditches his scruffy rock outfit the Rough Squirrels and returns to his harmonica and acoustic guitar. Evergreen Boy features laidback and lovely material, with stellar melodies like the ghostly, sparsely-arranged title cut, the delicate ÒMarieÓ and the lovely chord changes of ÒYour Own HeroÓ really standing out.
Additionally, no one can sing a song quite like the raspy voiced Forbert. When he reaches into the upper tonal register, his voice breaks up into lots of little charming bits. When he takes it down to a whisper and his vocal texture disappears, he wants you to know that the words he sings carry great weight. Like Forbert's voice and lyricism, Jim Dickinson's production is equally effective, characterized by clear, spare acoustic instrumentation and understated performances. The forever young Forbert 's been making records since 1978 Üthe year he released ÒRomeo's TuneÓ and his platinum debut Jackrabbit Slim. It's to his credit that he can still sound as fresh and vibrant as he does. Evergreen Boy may not duplicate that success, but it's his best record since 1991's American In Me.
Steve Forbert: All recordings written by S. Forbert, courtesy of Koch Records and Rolling Tide Music (ASCAP), administered by Bug Music Inc.
