Steve Baker - Perfect Getaway (CD)

With his first solo album, "Perfect Getaway," London-born Steve Baker reveals a previously unknown side of himself, reinventing himself as a singer and composer. He is known for his groundbreaking work as a leading figure in the European harmonica scene. His work as an accompanist and partner with artists such as Franz-Josef Degenhardt, Chris Jones, and Abi Wallenstein is equally congenial and stylistically diverse. With this album, Steve Baker presents himself as a compelling songwriter, bandleader, arranger, and producer.
As its musical background suggests, "Perfect Getaway" is not a pure blues album, but rather reflects the diverse musical influences he has absorbed and processed over the course of his life. The 13 compositions were written by Steve Baker and came from very different times in his 40-year musical career. Although he has recorded some of the tracks before with other line-ups, he usually did not sing them himself. A large portion of the pieces are newly composed, and many were written specifically for this production. Steve pre-produced the tracks with bassist Gaz, and the album was recorded by Marcus Praed at the Mühle der Freundschaft in Bad Iburg. For this album, Baker brought some of the leading figures in the Osnabrück music scene to his side. With Kai Strauss on guitar, Alex Lex on drums, Christian Rannenberg on piano, and Gaz (the token Swabian) on bass, all the songs were recorded live in the wonderful ambience of Praed's recording studio. Moritz Fuhrhop played the Hammond organ on some of the tracks. Backing vocals were provided by Gaz and Steve's daughter Gina, who makes her recording debut here, and four tracks feature beautiful choral singing by Gaz's group "Opportunity".
The songs are stylistically very diverse and span a wide range from singer/songwriter to country, gospel, blues, rock 'n' roll, and even harder rock. What unites them all is Baker's distinct pop sensibility, which gives his compositions a distinct character. His songs have catchy choruses and, like his harp playing, are primarily melodic, with finely nuanced grooves, enchanting guitar with the unmistakably biting tone of Kai Strauss, and Christian Rannenberg's relaxed, groovy piano playing.
The first thing you notice about Steve Baker's songs is that they are deeply personal and unclichéd; they have a very English feel. A good example of this is the opening number "Anyway You Do," which begins with melancholic country sounds and goes through several surprising twists and turns before fading into uptempo Afrobeat with a choir. "Blind Man Blues" is reminiscent of Little Feat or Dr. John and is followed by the acoustically groovy funk of "Brand New Day," with a gospel choir and a wonderfully light-footed harp solo at the end. The tongue-in-cheek "Notional Security Blues" mocks the omnipresent obsession with security, while the autobiographical "Born In London" sounds somewhat like old Chuck Berry. This is followed by the raging punk pop of "Apeman" – with guitar riffs reminiscent of both the Kinks and the Searchers. The exciting minor-key blues "Doublecrossed & Blue," one of Steve's most popular instrumentals, is followed by a surprising remake of the old Have Mercy number "Hustle On Down" from 1977, which rocks along in the style of Elvis Presley's Memphis Album or JJ Cale. "Glad I Got You" follows, a mix of Motown, Stones, and British pub rock, with backing vocals from Gina and Gaz. "Nobody's Fool" blends country with New Orleans piano, while "Soul Train" blends raging rockabilly with a choir, a harp solo, and virtuosic guitar playing.
The title track, "Perfect Getaway," is a psychodrama that begins with dark blues-rock guitar riffs and vocals, then leads into classic Brit-rock choruses before culminating in a pop anthem finale marked by a return of hope. The final track, the poignant country-gospel "One Word," brings all the elements together again, featuring Steve's unmistakably lyrical harp playing, a magnificent choral arrangement, and Kai's final soulful guitar solo. "Perfect Getaway" emphatically demonstrates that, after a long career as a sideman and highly respected instrumentalist, Steve Baker has successfully repositioned himself as a rocking singer/songwriter.

01 Anyway You Do
02 Blind Man Blues
03. Brand New Day
04 Notional Security Blues
05 Born In London
06 (Don't Wanna Be An) Apeman
07 Doublecrossed & Blue
08 Hustle On Down
09 Glad I Got You
10 Nobody's Fool
11 Soul Train
12 Do Me
13 Perfect Getaway
14 One Word