Kelly Steward – Tales and Tributes of the Deserving and Not So
Glass Wing Records – 13 December 2019
Life has taken some funny turns for Kelly Steward. Moving from the mid-west to LA at the age of 19, she became a single mom then moved back to Illinois with her son in tow, and now at the age of 42 she’s releasing her first album, Tales and Tributes of the Deserving and Not So. It’s been a twisted path, but why follow the straight and narrow when the highways and byways are there for a reason.
Recounting her return to a more rooted life in Rockford, Golden Sun isn’t about defeat, but rather a strategic retreat to a different life, “… tear my whole house down to build it back up again.” The song starts softly, but the guitars and bass build with a passion as Kelly moves back east with the sun coming up on the horizon.
While Kelly has been compared to singers like Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton may actually be a more fitting comparison. There’s a refreshing purity and strength to her vocal phrasing that locks in perfectly with the steel guitar twang on Generation as she maintains “I was born in a lost generation, singing from a place of heart and soul.” In Heartbreak Heart, the suggestion is given, “Don’t you want to claim me mystify and tame me, take me back to your home.”
Genuine sadness imbues Travelin’ Ghost. “How does it feel to walk away from something that led you here? …you’re lonesome, you’re heart is breaking all over this world. I can’t pick up your pieces and put them back again.” It’s one of those situations where you want to just tell him to move on, but the advice simply doesn’t do any good.
No Time For Lovin’ You rocks with a restless, relentless abandon, guitars blaring, organ roiling. She sings with unbridled passion recounting the pain that finally forces her out the door, “…doing hard time leaving you behind…” While there may be agony it’s also clear the decision is not one she regrets.
Through the course of nine songs in just over thirty minutes, Kelly Steward Illustrates a world that isn’t always perfect, but during that time the music and her incredible voice leave you transfixed. There’s pain and there’s beauty, not always in equal measure, yet there’s enough of both to make you realize you’ve heard a unique voice who’s come through both and still feels there’s a song worth singing.
Photo Credit: Jasmine Rose