Short Reviews [Steve Bonino - 2023 - "Acoustic"]

This is the first of two albums released in October last year containing a decade-long retrospective of the work of Steve Bonino, and one will not be surprised to discover the 18 songs on this set are all acoustic based (although they may contain electric instruments as well). Steve is a true multi-instrumentalist so some of these tracks are just by him, but he also does bring in friends to help out as well from time to time, the most notable being Jimmy Keegan who provides additional vocals, drums and keyboards on three of the tracks. When I said to Steve about reviewing this, he was somewhat surprised I would be interested given I have reviewed all his solo releases, but it interesting to hear these tracks next to each other as it shows a very different side to his style which may be otherwise missed. Not only have I reviewed all of Steve’s solo albums, but various bands he has been in such as Bomber Goggles and Red32, while he was kind enough to write some words for the rear of TPU Vol5, so it is fair to say we are friends in the modern digital sense of the word, but that has been built out of mutual self-respect and yet again I find myself lost in the world of his creation wondering why his music is not more well-known. Of the two companion releases this has less to do with prog and much more with singer-songwriter and polished pop. Songs such as “Colors of You”, one where he provides everything himself and is based on picked acoustic guitar is delicate yet with strength, a real classic which deserves to be played on the radio and be in the charts (fat chance in this modern consumable plastic throwaway world). But even though I rate that very highly indeed, it is not the standout on this collection as that undoubtedly belongs to “Come Out and Play”. This is another standalone from Steve which is a mid-Seventies radio hit if ever I heard one – strangely enough the main girl within this is called “Carrie”, which is the same name as one of Cliff Richards’s finest songs (from 1979) but is a totally different song in both style and substance. This set demonstrates a very different side of Steve, one to be savoured and enjoyed when one has time to sit and relax, a perfect Sunday afternoon release. I note that Steve has used some words of mine on his Bandcamp page, “Everything I have heard from him has been simply superb”, and I stand by them totally. Brilliant.