Belgium Roots Time Magazine December07

Previous year appeared the album country And Sea of the formatie MuddyHead with multi-instrumentalist Andy Steele as a zanger. Now first soloalbum with the long title True Believers And The Guises or The Weasel appear on its own label. Andy Steele are a British muzikant who writes mainly pianosongs. With that instrument he performance years also several at the formatie The Coal Porters, in which also ex-Long the Rider zanger Sid Griffin played a prominent role. Moreover he took off session work also much on keyboards for among other things China crisis, the success link Liverpool. This year still looked after he the voorprogramma during the British tournee of the legendary link America. On this debuutalbum he brings mainly a mix of Americana, folk and headstock in the style of Ray Davies, Richard Thompson and Neil Young. In the first number on this CD One or these Days recognises I moreover a bit Paul McCartney at the time of Wings. The piano is vooraan placed with the harmonica on Penguin Eggs and here also a first clear is time made that Andy Steele beside songwritercapaciteiten have also an excellent song voice. An absolute peak on this CD is the number Vincent that is extremely cleverly built musical. Other leuke songs on this plate are Nobody Whistling, Tonight So I Can See, No Relief Except For Sleeping and lovers Lament, where you think back unconsciously to Shipbuilding of Robert Wyatt. Super-nice is the splendid trompetsolo interlude in the marvellous beautiful number Ile Saint Louis blues. The complete CD is notable moreover by the splendid arrangements of these nicely structured folksongs. Andy Steele bring nowhere something earth-shaking, but must that then? If you if auditor of all songs can enjoy without exception to be we already more than satisfied. In the meantime be able bring Andy Steele already for a continuator for this CD that he works in spring of 2008 hopes. Provisional title of that album is Night Fishing. If that even good will be as True Believers And The Guises or can Weasel reserve The Andy Steele for us also of it already exemplaartje for discussion and promotion by means of Rootstime. (valsam)

LEONARDS LAIR
Andy Steele
True Believers And The Guises Of The Weasel
Album Reviews

Back in 2005, Liverpool quartet MuddyHead released 'Land And Sea'. They were a group based around the songwriting skills of Andy Steele, who could count on ex-China Crisis man Gary Daly as one of his supporting players. The follow-up record, if one can call it that, arrives under Steele's own name. This is quite sensible given that Steele handles most of the lyrics, piano and guitar playing but it's his own warm vocals which are the dominant force on the new record.

The China Crisis influence is less clear this time around but the arrangements still strive for an old-fashioned branch of tune-making where even the lyrics seem to long for a very British sense of nostalgia. 'Penguin Eggs' features the awkward line of "This architect's final cathedral is from wobbly scaffolding thrown" whilst 'Ile Saint Louis Blues' bemoans "Dorset millionaires hanging out

their washing free from care" before closing in on an impressive horn-led finale. As with the MuddyHead record, the album

isn't going to change anyone's life, but the rock-solid melodies of 'Vincent' and 'Nobody Whistling' certainly gladden the heart. Indeed, it's an undemanding but thoroughly likeable album.

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AMERICA SPRING 2007

Civic Hall Wolverhampton

14th March 2007

The most famous horse never to race at the Cheltenham Festival carried on up the M5 last Wednesday and turned up at the Civic Hall where he found an enthusiastic audience waiting to see him. This was night number two on America’s UK tour and they didn’t disappoint the dedicated and fiercely loyal fans who had turned out to see them. As everyone expected, their 90 minute plus set was made up of many of their colossal hits over the past 35 years, most of which still sound fresh. Opening with the first track from their first album, Riverside, these were quickly followed by Ventura Highway, Don’t Cross The River and Only In Your Heart. Augmented these days by an extra guitarist, Michael Woods, bass, Rich Campbell and drums played by Will Leacox, Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley are largely free to play acoustic guitars and keyboards as well as delivering their trademark Californian style harmonies. Even after all these years, the voices are in fine condition and they come up with the goods.

Mixing their well known tunes with tracks from their new cd Here And Now the set was fast paced and slick, although at times the drums tended to overshadow the subtleties of some of the acoustic playing. The new material like Chasing The Rainbow and Indian Summer was well received and certainly on a par with their past work, and as this is the first studio album in some 10 years, it should prove to be a success. But there was no doubt that the majority of audience had come to hear the songs that launched the group, so the climax came with Tin Man, Woman Tonight, Sandman and the inevitable encore of Horse With No Name for which the band were joined by Dewey’s daughter Nancy and support act Andy Steele.

A word of support for Andy Steele – he delivered a lovely mini-set of melodic self written songs showing influences from McCartney, through Sid Griffin and onto Lindisfarne and Alan Hull. He has a distinctive and strong voice which is perfectly suited to his material. He has one album available, Land And Sea, and a new one True Believers And the Guises Of The Weasel slated for release this summer. Keep an eye open for him – he has the talent that deserves to succeed.

BIRMINGHAM POST : 16th March 2007

LEONARDS LAIR

PICCADILLY RECORDS, MANCHESTER

THE WREXHAM LEADER

If someone were to tell you that there's this great new trio led by a piano-playing singer/songwriter, more than likely you'd think of yet another Coldplay or Keane clone, right? In most cases, you'd be correct, but fortunately, Muddyhead are not part of the "Sensitive Piano Playing Brit-Pop Brigade" of the mid-2000s. In fact, although the production is modern, the songs are timeless sketches of real life as seen through the eyes of leader Andy Steele. These are songs that could have been hits in the '60s, '70s, or any other time. There are hints of Elton John, Harry Nilsson, Paul McCartney, and Steely Dan in Steele's songwriting, but he remains very much his own man. Ably assisted by Gary Daly (China Crisis) on bass and Graham Chesters on drums, Steele handles the piano and guitar chores himself, tenderly ringing every bit of emotion out of each instrument without abusing them. Steele also handles most of the songwriting with a little help from Daly ("All Manner of Men") and Daly's China Crisis pal Eddie Lundon ("Blameless Life"). Amidst all the wondrous pop songs, Muddyhead transform folk eccentric Michael Hurley's "Automatic Slim and the Fatboys" into the pop song it always should have been. This album is full of fantastic pop gems like "She Moves Me," "Miracle Cure," and "Call Me" that seem to float and transform themselves in mid-air. Although very much an English pop album, there are still moments like "The Theatre List" and the title track that could easily fit into a folk or alt-country/Americana radio play list. Needless to say, this is a perfect debut. And yes, Steele is a sensitive singer/songwriter, but he and Muddyhead do not fit into any category very easily.

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