Lo Steele – Only A Drop
9 tracks – 34 minutes
Lauren “Lo” Steele was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. Her mother, Rhonda Steele, is in the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. Her father, Mark, is also a musician and leads the Steele family band. Lo has toured Brazil and acted in plays in Portland and recently in New York. She has opened for Dianne Reeves and Esperanza Spalding, which would tend to suggest her music tends towards jazz and/or R&B with a blues touch.
The 26-year- old female vocalist is now releasing her second album produced by Charlie Hunter and co-produced by Marcus Finnie. The two respectively play “hybrid guitar” and drums on the album. LaRhonda Steele and Sarah Steele provide backing vocals and Elleon Dobias play violin. Nine original songs on the album were all written or co-written by Lo Steele.
“Greenz” opens the album with a bluesy accusation about modern music as she determines “They want to water down the green, take the flavor and color out but replicate the recipe. They take every created to fit their own desire and needs, they have forgotten what it means – melodies.” All concluding with “I love the blues”. “Stockholm” moves into a sexy R&B roll as she expounds on “all the things you put me through brings these things to my mind. It is easy for me when the thrill is gone, and love is gone on its way”. She then says she wants to be “Made New”, ” to be seen by you”.
On the orchestra powered “Seven Wonders”, she asks, “Where did you get your heart from? Did you find it in a garden? Blooms with such a loving that I have never known”. “Step Out on Faith” gets funky as she declares “to live you have to grow”. “If you want everything you say, you’ve got to take a step.” She questions “Will We Ever Know How It Feels to Be Free?” “or is evil the responsibility of humanity to keep things interesting”. “Must I l aways lay with my rage?”
On “Just Say You Want Me” she cries “It hurt so bad when things fell apart. I didn’t know because I couldn’t see it, how I broke your heart”. “Now that I have faded and anticipated, I want to crawl back right into your view. I turned my self red while looking for blue”. She seeks to get in on his “Garden Floor” as she laments on a lost love, “I find myself awake at night, thinking back of the memory of how I knew. If I could only hear you sigh, live in the after you.” She states, “We were born to sing and there is no tax on a “Freedom Song”. She reflects “once there was a time a song was loud. In order to sing it, one had to believe it. We needed no license to shout our defiance. If you’ve got the music, you got to use it.” “While I’m only a drop in the ocean, my song will live on in whoever is listening.”
Lo Steele envelops a musical style that, at least in my estimation and probably limited knowledge of the specific genre, is not currently represented by too many current female vocalists. Esperanza Spalding, mentioned above, and Diana Krall come to mind as purveyors of a jazz form blended with the blues. Lo Steele delivers a warm, sensuous feel to her songs. Her lyrics show a depth beyond standard love songs that shift easily to a social commentary while maintaining that comfortable drive. A nice easy listen for a romantic evening or just for relaxation, but also with a closer examination will make you think.
