Randy Steele is no newbie to bluegrass music. Since 2008 he’s been the banjo guy and frontman for Chattanooga’s Slim Pickins Bluegrass. A legendary band playing traditional and authentic bluegrass tunes.
Authentic to the music or not, Steele started throwing together some less authentic tunes that he knew wouldn’t go over well with the band’s usual crowd. So, he got his band together and recorded a solo album of his more unique creations. Even without the award-winning name of his bluegrass band behind him, you can still expect to hear some great music from Songs From The Suck.
Like any well-made singer/songwriter, Steele’s songs tell stories, though he points out on his website that the majority of the stories on this solo album are fictional.
The album starts with “Northbound 29”, which starts with what sounds like any traditional bluegrass music to this untrained ear. The banjo is amazing on this music. The backing vocals are delightful. You’ll enjoy the speed of this song.
One of the most interestingly titled tracks on the album is “Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Closer to the Fire”. This is a gloriously rendered instrumental track. It has a fairy tale sound to it, almost.
“1983” is one of the tracks that stands out the most. It just has such a great beat and you’ll want to start line dancing to it.
If you are just a passing fan of bluegrass music you’ll really love this album. If you’re simply a fan of country music, you will also find something amazing in these songs. They are upbeat and full of life.
This album sounds great and Steele deserves some major props for this collection of tracks, even if they don’t follow all the rules of bluegrass (whatever those are). You can learn more about Steele here: https://www.randysteelemusic.com/.
Get a listen to the music from Songs From The Suck here: https://randysteele.bandcamp.com/releases
This toe-tapping and knee-slapping album of goodness is brought to you by the good people of Whiplash Pr & Marketing, www.whiplashpr.com.
