JOEL STEVEN: Fathomless

Joel Steven

Fathomless

© 2005 joel steven (634479248610)

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Lyrical Rock with haunting melodies and a strong sense of place and time. Very Diverse. A Rock & Roll journey with the storyteller.

tracks

1 trust punks
2 fathomless
3 purple dave
4 try me on trial
5 east in autumn sun
6 reflected
7 cool breeze
8 flesh like me
9 hypocrisy
10 broken key
11 lost summer
12 shoe laces
13 blind man
14 dreams and wishes

notes

Powerful and dark. Wonderfully melodic. Organic and wistful. Haunting, lyrical, and surprisingly diverse. Rife with a sense of place and time. These are just some of the words used to describe the music of Joel Steven. Now you can experience all of this in one album, "Fathomless". Fourteen beautifully recorded and dynamic songs totaling over one full hour of music!

His colorful background sets the stage for his songs. A lover of the English language from an early age, Joel took his talent for writing poetry and fiction and entered the world of songwriting. His unique ability as a poet and storyteller was infused with his love for melody, creating a landscape where words and music reinforce one another, bringing the listener on a journey where each song has a setting all it's own.

Influenced musically by greats like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Allman Brothers, Neil Young, Rush and Yes, Steven sculpted a guitar style rich in emotion and mindful of tone. You may hear echoes of Jimmy Page, David Gilmore, and Carlos Santana within the bluesy and often improvised guitar solos. While his unique singing voice is at best difficult to define, it has been compared to that of Steven Stills and Jon Anderson of Yes.

Perhaps the most intriguing quality about Joel's new CD "Fathomless" is it's remarkable diversity. From the dark and almost sinister title track, to the soaring acoustic ballad "Reflected", to the humorous southern tinged "Hypocrisy", Steven is clearly not afraid to cross into new territory in hopes it will bring the listener to place where they see something of their own life within his words and music.

reviews

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  • SO GOOD IT HURTS!
    author: Nancy Jones

    The title track says it all. This body of works is truly Fathomless. So diverse, from the hopefully romantic "reflected" to "dreams and wishes", which every girl will wish he had written for her, he paints the enchanted . . . Through this Cd, which is cheaper than any visit to the couch of any therapist I KNOW, you will run the gambit of emotions. You will learn to "trust punks", grit your teeth on "shoe laces", and put "East In Autumn Sun" on repeat when making love. The title track speaks of how the lifestyle of LA has tried to crush this musical craftsman, but this phoenix has risen from the flame with a superb AOR CD. (That's 'Album Oriented Rock', for those of you not in the biz) I wait with baited breath for what is to come from Steven. He has an untapped resource of inspiration at his fingertips, and it will come blazing out like flames from his "lost summer" and drop down into a "cool breeze". I can't wait for more!!! AMAZING WORK!

  • SO GOOD IT HURTS!
    author: Nancy Jones

    The title track says it all. This body of works is truly Fathomless. So diverse, from the hopefully romantic "reflected" to "dreams and wishes", which every girl will wish he had written for her, he paints the enchanted . . . Through this Cd, which is cheaper than any visit to the couch of any therapist I KNOW, you will run the gambit of emotions. You will learn to "trust punks", grit your teeth on "shoe laces", and put "East In Autumn Sun" on repeat when making love. The title track speaks of how the lifestyle of LA has tried to crush this musical craftsman, but this phoenix has risen from the flame with a superb AOR CD. (That's 'Album Oriented Rock', for those of you not in the biz) I wait with baited breath for what is to come from Steven. He has an untapped resource of inspiration at his fingertips, and it will come blazing out like flames from his "lost summer" and drop down into a "cool breeze". I can't wait for more!!! AMAZING WORK!

  • Check Formulas At The Door--A Grab Bag of Goodies On One CD!!
    author: Dino the Drummer

    Delicate as wildflowers....all the way to killer crunch-sometimes in the same song!!! Joel Steven manages to bring all his lyrical and stylistic talents to bear in one disc. While the occasional Floyd influence (or a tip of the hat to Jerry Garcia) are evident, Steven showcases his talents as a writer, guitar player and even his wicked sense of humour. The disc has some nice production touches and yet never lets go of the honest, earthy sound that is genuine and familiar. Much of the acoustic guitar and soft singing parts are beautiful and sometimes haunting (Reflected-Flesh Like Me). But just when you are lulled into that world the rock crunch and soaring-yes even TOWERING guitar leads are there to jolt you back to reality (Blind Man). Then there is the bluesy guitar playing which brings to mind John Hiatt-some southern flavor. Only an artist as seasoned and experienced as Steven and his solid crew (notably Jon Brownpost on Bass) could put together this smorgasborg of musical styles and pull it off. Buying another cd where the songs all blend into sameness when you could feast on this smorgasborg would be; well-fathomless...

  • Eclectic storytelling and compelling music
    author: Mia

    Steven knows how to craft a beautiful song without glorying in that craft - there's no pretension here, just excellent songwriting. My personal favorites are the title track and "Dreams and Wishes," both evoking unfulfilled yearning, the music carefully and fully completementing the words. Steven is a masterful musican and songwriter!

  • Very Refreshing
    author: tyler james

    This CD is a really cool find! Lots of interesting and different songs that keep you guessing yet somehow manage to relate as a whole. Great blues-rock guitar feel. I really like the dark title track "Fathomless" and the acoustic "Reflected". Deep lyrics with some humor at times (hear Hypocrisy). Highly reccomended for anyone with an open mind to diverse styles. It's good to see someone is making records with more than one or two good songs. This has many! At over an hour of music it's well worth the price.

  • glad I bought it
    author: Thaddeus Brown

    There are a lot of styles, and I don't like all of them. So some of these tunes were doomed from the start for me. Naturally your milage will vary depending on what styles you like. The singer varies his accent with different tunes which gives him a storyteller image, like he's acting the story. The sound is pretty high-fi. It is not produced with a layered "produced" kind of sound though. So it's either a really high fi garage band approach, or a stripped down big studio approach. You call it. I rate an album based on how many songs make it into permanent iTunes rotation. In other words, tunes I would want my friends to hear if it came up randomly. Here's the verdict: 1. trust punks- yes- if I saw this out live at a bar somewhere I'd be like f*#^ yeah! 2. fathomless- yes- spooky, got stuck in my head. I could have done without the 1968 halloween sound fx beginning 3. purple dave- yes- because it's about a psycho that gets along (and its a good song) 4. try me on trial- no- chick flick 5. east in autumn sun- no- too 80's hair band balad for me 6. reflected- yes- very very cool acoustic guitar stuff on this, like jimmy page if he practiced more. I could imagine zep doing this actually 7. cool breeze- no- this sounds like fabulous thunderbirds or something, then a game show synthesizer comes in. can't do it. 8. flesh like me- yessss- this is straight up porno music. Everyone will want to know where I got it. 9. hypocrisy- no- this breaks my heart because I love this song... I've had it in my head a lot and it's funny. it's got this vamp at the end though where a barber shop sings "still together in the grave" over and over. Musically it sounds really cool, but I can't have that come up. I like this enough I may have my friend delete the end. 10. broken key- no- see #7 11. lost summer- yes- a bit of a chick flick for me, but I really like it for some reason and you've got to have some good chick flicks in the collection for the... 12. shoe laces- no- this is well done but too cutesy bluesy for me. I am sure a lot of people will love this though. 13. blind man- yes- very cool instrumental rock. I don't usually like instrumental rock. 14. dreams and wishes- no- chick flick

  • 'Fathomless' paints warm, blues-y textures from organic, honest, acoustic brush-
    author: Timothy Sean Fitzpatrick - Producer

    Joel Steven's 'Fathomless' has got an organic sonic-resin to it...a refreshing, honest musical texture. Wholesome and Bluesy, Joel paints his musical portraits with a decidedly Northern California purity...the tracks are grainy, natural and relaxed, with no over-produced layer seperating himself, and his blues roots, from the listener, lending the album a distinctly welcoming and unpretentious feel. Joel is excellent at setting a musical tone and gently expanding upon it from within that sphere, without suddenly going left field, altering his sound, and distracting the listener in the wrong way...consistency...perhaps exactly the reason why compositions from his earlier albums have been featured on several MTV series. The vocals (and guitar) subtly allude to Blind Melon, Bad Co./Paul Rogers and has moments that harken Grateful Dead's earlier 'hey-day' countrified goodstuff (hear 'Hypocrisy'), while the music as a whole also suggests a wee bit of a progressive vibe...ala Pink Floyd/Alan Parsons/Yes-isms. "Fathomless' album Highlights are the rolling, Scottish-Pasture-image-evoking 'Reflected', 'Lost Summer' with some shades of Dylan, and perhaps the best piece...the album's swansong, the beautiful and inspired 'Dreams And Wishes'. Fathomless paints warm sonic textures that evoke a homey, laid back warmth. Timothy Sean Fitzpatrick. Producer. www.wishlab.com.

  • Great mood pieces with a BIG splash of lyrical genius!
    author: A Big Fan

    Joel Steven once again displays his talent for writing great songs that touch (and tickle) the heart in more ways than one. This alblum showcases Joel's more mature approach to songwriting, and his experimentation with different singing styles surprises you from track to track. His lyrics alone speak volumes; mapping out his life, his loves, and his dreams. I loved his insightful "Hypocrisy" and his tender "Reflected." "Fathomless" brings back haunting memories of loss and hope, as does "East in Autumn Sun," which would taunt any listener about his/her life of inaction.

  • An album rich with thick tones and deep words of life!
    author: ATL Music Review

    This album is rich with thick tones and deep words of life thru the eyes of a true musician. Very natural sounding, almost unlike most of todays' overprocessed and thin sounding music. It brings to mind the raw sound of 70's Floyd & Creedence recordings, more focused on the soul of the song, not technology to make the song a success. If you are looking for pop-candy-rock hits, this is not for you. If you are looking for a full albums worth of creativity of words and music, then get this gem! Keep it up Mr. Joel Steven!

  • Hauntingly mellow hard driven rock.
    author: Chris W

    This album is some of Steven's best work to date. The album is very diverse. It has very haunting melodies from the title track, and East in Autumn Sun, to straight up rockers like Trust Punks and Blind Man. Do yourself a favor and pick up this album. Don't think about it just do it

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