STEVE CARLSON: Stripped Down

Steve Carlson

Stripped Down

© 2008 Stripped Down (634479799150)

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This album combines genres, creating melodies and lyrics filled with bluesy seductiveness, soul-bearing vulnerability and mature reflection.

notes

Steve Carlson's latest release "Stripped Down" is an intimate album filled with inspirational melodies and moving ballads. This is Carlson's second collaboration with Producer, Darren Sher and was recorded in the winter of 2008 in Las Vegas - "Down" on the "Strip".

reviews

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  • author: Praewta Sorasuchart

    This album is absolutely stunning. It's soft and intimate, painful and powerful, and contains some of the most honest music I've ever heard. All the new songs and the stripped down versions of the old ones have something that's so brilliantly, delicately unique about them that you just can't help but lose yourself in the music. I've had this on repeat for days and I fall harder and deeper in love with it every single time.

  • Great work!
    author: Tina

    I was totally stunned when I read, that there will be a new album so soon after the Groovin' album. And again it's fantastic! I heard 'The one that got away' for the first time last year during a gig in London and fell so much in love with this song. Since it was available on MySpace I've heard it a hunderd times (or so). And now there are so many others lovely songs. For me, it's so hard to pick one as my favorite song. The new versions of 'without you', 'you belong with me', 'one thing' and 'fade away' are wonderful. It was a little bit strange to hear 'be my baby' in this version, but after a few times in my CD-player I also loved this song. 'Save to say' and 'just another goodbye' are so emotional. And I think it was a perfect choice to end this CD with a groovy song like 'love you or leave you'. It makes you press the start-again-button! Rosalee's voice is so great and it makes a perfect match to Steve's. I hope there will more albums of him produced by Darren Sher.

  • Awesome
    author: Dee Reeves

    I love every track on this Album its 'Bride to Be' of Albums, Something Old , Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue. Safe to Say is one of the favourite tracks of the moment, Rosalee's voice is a beautiful addition.

  • Fantastic!
    author: Theresa Burch

    Steve's voice is soulful and has such feeling while his songs illicit powerful emotions and paint beautiful pictures. I've been listening to this album for a while now and I can't get enough. To me, there's nothing better than a singer with a guitar and we get a lot of that on this album. It's simple and raw, but in the best way possible. The title says it all. Each of Steve's albums has built on the previous one and "Stripped Down" may very well be his best yet. If you're a fan of good music, you won't go wrong buying this album.

  • Wow, just...wow! Steve outdid himself!
    author: Rochelle

    Every album continues to just blow me away, with "Stripped Down" being no exception. If you love music that speaks to you, then this album will exceed all your expectations tenfold. Steve's raspy voice along with smooth and soulful melodies make this a CD that will be a staple in your CD player for a long time to come. "Stripped Down" is an appropriate title for the album. The music is stripped down to the bare essentials, the emotions are stripped down to the bone, it is very clean and even though saying that may make it sound 'simple' that is not the case. Each songs is individual and has a wonderfully unique sound, but the entire collection of songs fits together like a house of cards, take away one track, and it seems incomplete. The album is one continuous song, with ups and downs, it is a contradiction in terms, it is individual songs and melodies, but one complete work and that is what all albums should be; standalone songs that you can listen to whenever the mood strikes you AND one wonderful album that takes you on a singular journey. "Without You" is a wonderful and poignant way to start the album off. It points to the fact that this album is without excessive musical arrangements. The entire album is essentially 'without you', highlighting Steve's ability to completely move a crowd with just great lyrics and a simple beautiful melody. Even though this song, with a few others are 'remakes' of tracks from previous albums, they each have an entirely new sound on this album, so 'Without You" is without the original, reinventing the song, making you hear it in new light and appreciate it even more. The cover of "Be My Baby" is better than the original (in my opinion). Lending island flavor and a contemporary guitar beat to enhance the song. Rosalee's voice is amazing and lifts the song to new melodic heights without adding any fussy musical arrangement. The voices carry the song, and do more than carry it, they lead it. "Just Another Goodbye" is such a heartbreaking story. The pain is apparent, but so is the triumph. The ability to move on after a relationship breaks apart is the message underneath the heartbreak. After listening to the song, we can only thank Steve and stand in awe as he opens his heart and pours out the pain and resignation into this song as well as many other on the album. "Safe to Say" is another heart wrenching song that leaves no doubt as to the depth or heart of Steve. His voice along with the subtle background harmonizing is more of a symphony than just a song. The piano added to the tune is genius, and brings emotion to the track that it wouldn't have otherwise. Each song is like this, the instruments or musical accompanyment that are added, only enhance the song, they don't detract from it. Steve manages know which instruments will work for each song, and the audience benefit from his knowledge and understanding of a great song and album. "The One That Got Away" is a more up tempo melody with wonderful flute accents that carries the same message as the rest of the album; heartbreak. It does not wallow or lament though, it is an anthemic song of acceptance, once again mixing the anguish of heartbreak with the perseverance of moving on making it a dual sided song. "Where My River Flows" has a melody that haunts you long after the track has ended. It speaks to the people that believe in soul mates and true love. Once love is given, a part of you always seems to reside with that person you loved, and this song voices that with an accurate metaphor. It also deals with going on after the heartbreak which seems to be a mainstay for all the tracks on the record, bringing in the cohesive nature of the album as a whole. "You Belong with Me" is another 'remake' of a previous track. I put that in quotes because it could be considered a new song, with only the words being the same. The entire vibe is different from the original, in a good way. Both are stand alone versions, and both are wonderful in the 'mood' they encompass. The tone of the song fits perfectly on this album as well as the original album. "All That I Ever Wanted" is another piano laced melody that manages to insert a quicker tempo than the words suggest, with stunning results. The utter heartbreak in this song is apparent in the lyrics, but the melody keeps the mood hopeful, even though you can feel the heartbreak. How he manages to balance the two is a secret only he is in on. The idea of waiting for the person you know is meant for you (or the person that possesses all the traits in them that you have been looking for) may seem old fashioned to some, but it is romantic and full of toughing realism to those who dare to really listen. "One Thing" is another favorite that would have been a favorite even if wasn't remade acoustically on this album. I truly didn't think it could get any better the second time around, but I was wrong. The uncomplicated way Steve brings his guitar (later joined by piano and flute accents) and just sings the song is unrivaled; and now people who loved the first one will be able to fall in love with a new, different and equally amazing version of the song. I could barely contain my excitement that "Happy Hour" was included on the album. The title of the song suggests a pounding rock song that makes you want to go out dancing. Steve surprises once again, bringing a quick strum of guitar strings to a story that is honest and from the soul. The sadness of these people in the story only having on happy hour a day is honest, and a real look at the way some people tend to settle for what they know rather than what they want. Steve captures the tragic story of these kinds of people in one song. "Fade Away" is another remake of a track from a previous album, and it stays with the standard set by the other 'remakes' on the album. It reinvents the song without losing any momentum or quality. The voice is so strong it almost outshines the instruments altogether, in a very raw way that makes the song fit into the album about pain and love lost. "Love You or Leave You" can be tricky. At first listen, the country vibe can throw you as the rest of the album is mostly melodic. After another listen though, it comes together, and is a wonderful way to end the album. Although the song is most definitely about a relationship, I think it is also a reflection of the album starting with 'Without You'. The album ends with the proclamation 'Love You or Leave You', which is exactly what happens after you hear this album. You will either love it or leave it. There is no in between with music of this caliber. Steve manages to do it again, he changes the tone and tempo of each song he 'remakes' on this album to revamp familiar songs and make you love them with newfound fervor. He also brings wonderfully catchy new songs that will leave you humming and singing for days after you hear them. The whole time you listen to the album, you forget that it is a disc, and feel as though Steve is there pouring his heart out in lyrics and music, sharing his most intimate hurt and pain with you. Individuality in each song combine to create a complete work of musical mastery. As you listen stunned that you are so privileged to get such a personal view of such an amazing artist, you can't help but appreciate the amazing talent it took to create an album that is all about heartbreak, but still manages to line it with hope and the ability to pick yourself up after such devastation. There is at least one song (in most cases many) on this album that every single person can relate to, and the fact that Steve brings us into his world with such a bare unfiltered look at his heart is a testament the man and the artist, that he does not need overcomplicated musical arrangements or technical bravado. The music and voice speak volumes on their own, and an acoustic album of this extraordinary quality is hard (if not impossible) to come by, and Steve makes it look easy.

  • Stunning Work
    author: Brande Ruiz

    I've admired Steve Carlson's music for several years now. There's always a sense of raw emotion in his work, but more so with this album. I've been fortunate enough to hear him perform some of these songs live and all the songs via his website preview. "Stripped Down" is an appropriate title for the album - each song has minimal accompaniment and backing vocals, giving you the ability to truly focus on the lyrical content. Definitely an album for the collection!

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